Who Knows
by iklaintevenmad
Summary: Everything's been going great for Kurt and Blaine, but Kurt misses McKinley. What does this mean for him and Blaine? Who knows what will happen?
1. Decisions

Kurt looked up at Blaine lovingly, watching the boy laugh with the other Warblers, and sighed, torn. The past month with Blaine had been amazing, and he wasn't in the least sorry that they had _finally _got together, although he wished Pavarotti hadn't had to have died in the process.  
>But something was troubling Kurt. He kept thinking back to the first time he ever had coffee with Blaine, his boyfriend's words echoing in his head.<br>_I ran, Kurt. I didn't stand up. I let bullies chase me away, and it is something that I really, really regret.  
><em>Kurt ran, too. He ran from Karofsky, and no matter how happy he was at Dalton, there was always that annoying thought in the back of his head – the one that told him he'd let the bullies win. He didn't need to prove himself to that bully, he knew. He _had _stood up for himself once, but where had that gotten him? Robbed of his first kiss with a guy. Yet he missed the New Directions guys a lot – even Rachel! – and his dad and Carole, too; it felt like he hardly saw them now. McKinley was where he belonged. And denying that was stupid.  
>Blaine looked over at Kurt, beaming, and the boy gave him a small smile back, completely unsure of what to do.<p>

'Kurt?' Blaine asked hesitantly, sat on Kurt's bed with him after school. 'Kurt!' That one seemed to wake him from his daydream, and the boy smiled weakly. 'Are you okay?' Blaine frowned. 'You didn't seem to hear a word I just said.'  
>'What?' Oh, I'm fine. Sorry.' He squeezed Blaine's hand in reassurance.<br>'Are you sure? 'Cause you've been kind of funny for a while now. Are we... alright?' Worry was evident on his face.  
>'Yes! Oh my God, Blaine, <em>yes<em>. Don't even think there's something wrong with us! It's just... I guess I'm just a little stressed from all the school work,' he excused himself lamely, unable to tell Blaine the truth.  
>'Oh!' Relief washed over his boyfriend. 'Well, you know I can help you with all that.' He smiled confidently, but not in a smug way. He was just used to Dalton and its classes.<br>'How, by tossing a whole ream of homework into the air and breaking out in a Maroon 5 song?' Kurt smirked playfully. His boyfriend mock-glared at him. 'That was different and you _know _it.'  
>'Mhmm,' the younger boy grinned. 'Sure.'<br>'Seriously, though. What subject's stressing you?' The fact that Blaine cared so much made Kurt's heart warm. He didn't want to tell him about his true dilemma, and he _did _need some help anyway...  
>'Uh, History.' He answered with a smile.<br>'Lucky for you, that's my best subject,' the boy answered with a wink. He readjusted himself on Kurt's bed and grabbed the textbook lying on the bedside table. He flicked through and found the desired page almost immediately, humming happily as he did so.  
>'Geek,' Kurt laughed.<br>Blaine stopped. 'I am?' He asked, clueless.  
>'You were humming the Harry Potter theme tune,' the boy informed him with a grin.<br>'I was? Oh!' Blaine laughed. 'But come on! Those movies _are _amazing.'  
>'I know.' The countless HP marathons Blaine begged him to consent to had changed Kurt's perspective of the series – or maybe it was just the look on Blaine's face as he mouthed the words in time with the films that Kurt enjoyed so much.<br>They got on with the work, Blaine kindly explaining to Kurt something they had been learning in class. It went quiet for a while as they both tried answering a question in the textbook, but it was a nice quiet, the type that didn't need to be filled. They could have sat there like that for hours, both completely comfortable and content in that silent haven. But the curiosity inside of Kurt made him feel like he had to break it.  
>'Hey, Blaine?' He asked hesitantly.<br>'Mm?' Came the distracted reply.  
>'You're glad I moved to Dalton, right?'<br>'Of course.' Blaine's brown eyes gazed warmly at his boyfriend, grinning. And Kurt believed him completely.  
>'Good,' - a pause - 'and if I were to move back to McKinley, hypothetically of course-'<br>'But why would you?' Blaine interrupting him, puzzled frown on his face. 'Karofsky made your life Hell.' Which was, you know, entirely true. No denying that.  
>'I know.' He didn't know what else to say, so he settled on stating the obvious.<br>'Are you saying you _want_ to be subjected to that again?' He wasn't judging Kurt; it was simply a question.  
>'No! No, it was just hypothetical, like I said.' Kurt tried to save himself, wishing he'd never even brought it up.<br>'Okay..?' The boy replied, smiling unsurely. 'Look, all I know is that I'm glad you're here.' He grinned. 'I honestly don't know what I'd do without you.' Blaine kissed Kurt's cheek innocently, unaware of the knot in his boyfriend's stomach, or the feeling of panic rising inside of him.

Blaine left later that night, dazzling Kurt with his smile and promising to call him before he went to bed. Kurt walked into the living room and sat on the couch with his dad and Carole.  
>'Hey, Kurt.' His stepmother smiled at him. 'How was Blaine?'<br>'Okay. He helped me with some school work.' Kurt felt like he should tell them that the only reason his boyfriend came over was to help him study; it made them more likely to allow the couple to stay in Kurt's room unsupervised.  
>'As long as that's all you're doing,' Burt mumbled, his thoughts most probably on tents. His son merely rolled his eyes expertly. 'Of course, Dad.' He lied. What his father didn't know wouldn't hurt him.<br>They sat in a comfortable silence, watching TV together. Kurt, not being able to hold his thoughts in any longer, finally opened his mouth to speak.  
>'I'm thinking of moving back to McKinley.' He informed his parents.<br>They both turned to look at him. 'What?' Burt asked, staring at the boy as though he was crazy. 'I thought that _kid_ was out to get you?' Kurt could hear the venom in his father's voice at the mention of Karofsky, and it reminded him of how lucky he was to have a father as supportive as his own.  
>'He is. But I feel like... like I need to go back and face him. And I miss the New Directions,' he added. It felt good to say it out loud, to share his dilemma with other people.<br>'Has Blaine said something to you to make you come to this decision?' Burt asked unhappily.  
>'What? No! I haven't mentioned this to him.' Kurt folded his arms, annoyed his dad had jumped to conclusions and blamed Blaine, when in reality Blaine was the epitome of perfection. If you didn't count his insane Harry Potter obsession.<br>'Okay! Just asking...' His dad defended himself, and Kurt brushed it off.  
>'I just feel like it's where I belong.' Kurt admitted glumly.<br>'You know we'll support you whatever you choose.' Carole told him kindly. Kurt really did like Carole.  
>'And if you do go back, and that Karofsky punk tries anything, we'll make sure he gets expelled for real this time.' Burt added.<br>'Thanks, Dad,' the fair boy smiled at him weakly, before getting up. 'I'm going to my room; I... kinda have a lot to think about.' The couple watched him go, the same worried look on both of their faces.

When Blaine rang that night, Kurt avoided the topic of McKinley once again. Listening to his boyfriend chat about something David and Wes had told him that day, Kurt realised how happy Blaine truly was. And he would still be happy even if Kurt _did_ go back to his old school. Wouldn't he? For some reason the thought didn't particularly comfort him.  
>'I have to go now,' Kurt told Blaine suddenly, just wanting some time to himself.<br>'You okay?' Came his boyfriend's troubled reply.  
>'Yeah. Just tired.' Kurt told him monotonously.<br>'Okay, well I'll see you at school tomorrow?'  
>'Sure. Later, Blaine.'<br>'Bye...?' Kurt ended the call, feeling incredibly guilty. Great, now Blaine knew something was up.  
>He collapsed in bed, but couldn't sleep. Blaine's voice went round and round in his head.<br>_Confront him! Call him out!_  
>Yeah, 'cause <em>that<em> worked...

Kurt tried his best to concentrate during Warblers practice the next day. But honestly, he couldn't see the point. They _had_ lost at regionals, he remembered with a pang. He couldn't help but feel responsible their loss, no matter how many times Blaine tried to tell him otherwise.  
>'You were amazing!' He said every time the subject came up. 'The duet was a long shot, and especially when New Directions wrote their own songs; I just thought of it to spend more time with you.' Blaine would blush adorably, and then all conversation would be forgotten completely as they kissed and simultaneously reminded themselves of how lucky they were.<br>Halfway through Thad accusing the Warblers of another mockery, Kurt's phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket apologetically, and, seeing his best friend's name on the screen, excused himself. Stood alone in the hallway, he answered the call.  
>'Hey! What's up?' He greeted Mercedes happily.<br>'You are _not_ going to believe this!' She cried down the phone, too excited to even greet him. Kurt wondered what it was. _Extra helpings of tots at lunch?_ He thought to himself, chuckling internally.  
>'I'm listening,' he urged her to proceed.<br>'It's Karofsky,' she began, and Kurt's heart leapt into his throat. 'He got caught beating up some kid, and after his track record you can bet they weren't going to stand for it. Figgins made the final decision today - he's _out_!'

Mercedes' phone call made the decision final - he was going back to McKinley. He would see his friends again, and fight back at the other bullies without there being an actual risk to his life.  
><em>I guess now I just have to tell Blaine<em>, Kurt thought, biting his lip. He sidled back into the Warblers' meeting just as it ended.  
>'Sorry,' he apologised to the brown eyed boy looking up at him. 'Mercedes called.'<br>'She have anything nice to say?' Blaine asked with a platonic smile, care-free as usual.  
>'...No. Nothing in particular.' Kurt lied, slipping his hand into his boyfriend's. Kurt liked the way Blaine's slightly rough hand felt beside his soft one, and they way they fit together perfectly, like two pieces of a puzzle.<br>Blaine merely smiled more and pulled Kurt in for a quick kiss. Kurt reciprocated eagerly, not even having to worry about who would see - the hall was nearly empty now and the fellow Warblers didn't care anyway; if anything they were happy that the two had _finally _got together.  
>Of course Kurt needed to tell Blaine about transferring. The subject was inevitably going to come up. But for now it could wait.<br>That weekend, Kurt told his dad and stepmother everything Mercedes had told him, and informed them of his decision to return to McKinley. They phoned Principal Figgins on Monday - who was all too happy to allow the student to return - and then the head of Dalton, to tell him that Kurt would be leaving permanently on Friday.  
>Kurt still hadn't told Blaine.<br>He couldn't! What if he got mad? Or thought there was no point in them continuing their relationship? What if he ended things right there and then when Kurt told him?  
>The awful thoughts kept spinning around Kurt's mind, and it seemed like every time he tried to admit to Blaine his plans, his brain screamed at him not to do it. But on Thursday he decided to bite the bullet.<p>

Walking out of their last class of the day, Kurt turned to face his boyfriend and stopped.  
>'W-we need to talk,' he stuttered, petrified of what was surely going to come next.<br>Blaine stopped too, worried at the look on Kurt's face. 'Okay.' He said simply.  
>'When Mercedes called the other day... she did have something to say. She said that Karofsky got expelled. Permanently, this time. And I <em>love <em>the Warblers and Dalton and how good everyone's been to me here, and how welcomed and accepted I've felt, but... but Dalton isn't my home. McKinley is. I need to go back there, to be with New Directions again, to face the bullies. I'm transferring back. I leave on Monday.' Kurt had been staring at the floor all through his little speech, and only at the end of it did he look up slightly. He saw Blaine standing there, completely shocked, as though he hadn't expected this at all. Maybe he hadn't.  
>'Oh.' Was all he said.<br>'Yeah.' There was nothing else for Kurt _to _say, really.  
>'Well... if that's what you really want.'<br>'It is.'  
>Blaine just nodded.<br>'What... do you want?' Kurt asked, his voice barely above a whisper.  
>Blaine was quiet for a long time, so quiet that Kurt thought he hadn't heard the question. But he didn't ask it again; he didn't even really want an answer.<br>'It's not up to me. You've made your decision, and I have to respect it.'  
>'Yeah, okay.' Kurt nodded, feeling positively awful. Tears welled up in his eyes.<br>'Kurt...' Blaine began, clearly seeing them, but Kurt just shook his head a little.  
>'I have to go pack,' he whispered, his voice rough thanks to the lump in his throat.<br>Blaine nodded again, and Kurt started to walk down the corridor they had once run down together, hand in hand. But this time he was alone.  
>He reached the end of the hallway and looked back at Blaine. Their sad eyes met, and Kurt wanted to tell Blaine that he loved him and this wasn't the end, and Blaine wanted to tell Kurt that he loved him and he would make sure they stayed together, but neither of them seemed able to get the words out, and no matter how close they were, they couldn't read each other's minds. Kurt turned the corner and ran the rest of the way to his car, the tears pouring down his face silently.<p> 


	2. Goodbyes

_So this is the second chapter, I really hope you like it and I've already started chapter three. Enjoy!  
>Also, I'd love it people gave me some feedback on the layout of it. Most of the fanfics I've read have had their lines spaced out, but when I went to do the same it didn't look write. Is it hard to read like this or am I just paranoid? :)<em>

Kurt went straight home and lay in bed for hours, staring at the ceiling. The excuse he'd used  
>to get away from Blaine was clearly a lie - what was there to pack? He would empty his locker out tomorrow and then he'd be gone, all evidence of him ever being at Dalton vanishing with him as he left.<br>He didn't sleep very well that night at all. He didn't text or call Blaine, and Blaine didn't try to contact him, either. They needed space, he guessed.  
>But he didn't want it.<br>He wanted Blaine to say that it's okay that Kurt's moving schools, that they would just meet in the middle for coffee like they used to do, and spend the weekends together. He wanted him to help him clear out his locker and say goodbye to the Warblers and make a little joke to lighten the mood as Kurt left for the last time on Friday. But he couldn't see that happening now.

When he walked into school that day, he couldn't see the older boy anywhere. He stood waiting for him at his locker – which was conveniently placed right next to Blaine's – but in the end the bell rang and he had to go to his first class alone. All of the classes he had that day were of the terrible few that he did not share with Blaine, and so it wasn't until lunch when he realised that Blaine really _was _nowhere.  
>'Have you seen Blaine?' Kurt asked Jeff, worried.<br>'No,' the Warbler answered, shovelling his food in his mouth enthusiastically. 'Last time I saw him was yesterday, around three.'  
>'Six!' Chirped Nick from the bottom of the table. Kurt stared at the boy in confusion for a few seconds before shrugging it off. Dalton was weird.<br>'Well, if you see him, tell him I'm looking for him, okay?' Kurt asked, losing his appetite.  
>Jeff just nodded, looking slightly uninterested, as though he didn't want to be in this conversation. Kurt assumed he didn't want to be caught up in some silly lovers' quarrel.<br>'I... I'm moving back to McKinley.' He explained; he knew he had to tell people sooner or later anyway.  
>Jeff's brown eyes glazed over.<br>'Yeah, I know,' came his simple reply.  
>Kurt kind of felt hurt that the Warbler apparently didn't even care that he was leaving. It's not like Lima was two minutes down the road, or he would be over at Dalton every other night; the way that Blaine was avoiding him made him wonder if he was even welcome here after he transferred back to McKinley. He pushed that unhappy thought away.<br>'Aren't... is that all you have to say?' Kurt asked in a quiet voice, trying to keep the hurt out of his tone; he was sick of being let down.  
>'Uh... have fun at Nationals?' Jeff replied with a clueless little smile.<br>'Whatever. I'm gunna go catch up on some homework,' the now very annoyed boy said as he stood up sharply. 'Just... if you _do_ see Blaine, could you tell him I'm looking for him?'  
>But Jeff was ready conversing with Nick again. Kurt just left the hall alone with his head down.<p>

Finally, as he sat in the Warblers hall, looking at notes, Kurt gave into himself and pulled out his phone.  
><em>Where are you? No one's seen you all day. I know you're mad but it's my last day and I just wanted to talk to you before I left.<em>  
>His fingers typed the message fast, angry. But Blaine didn't reply.<br>The rest of the day went by slowly, a truly disappointing end to his stay at the school that had helped him so much. Why was he leaving again?  
><em>Because you have to<em>, he told himself, determined. Besides, it wasn't like anyone was going to miss him, by the looks of things.  
>As the bell rang to signal not only the end of the day, but the end of his life at Dalton, Kurt heaved himself up from his desk and was just about to leave the building and drive home for presumably the last time, when he heard someone shout his name. Turning around, he realised it was David, Wes in tow.<br>'Hey, Kurt! Where are you going?' Asked David, a smile on his face.  
>'Uh... home?' Kurt answered, ratty. 'It's the end of the day.'<br>'You're not sticking around for the performance?' Wes asked innocently. Too innocently for Kurt's liking, or perhaps he was just being paranoid as well as snappy.  
>'What performance?' Curiosity got the better of him as he asked the pair.<br>'The Warblers, of course!' David explained happily. 'We're doing another impromptu performance.'  
>'You remember, like the one where we sang Teenage Dream!' Wes added with a wink. Kurt blushed furiously.<br>'Oh... I'm not really in the mood.' Kurt tried to get out of it, sidling away as he spoke, but he was having no such luck. Both boys grabbed an arm each at the same time and dragged Kurt into the direction of almost every other student – the Warblers' Hall.  
>They left him at the door just as Blaine had done once before, on the day Kurt first met him, the day his life changed completely.<br>But yet again, Blaine was nowhere to be seen.

As the group started to sing, Kurt felt his heart swell, most particularly because of the song choice – For Good, from Wicked.  
>The Warblers' voices complimented each other as always, every voice slightly different, but they all had something in common; the look in their eyes. Every pair was on Kurt, each emitting a feeling of warmth.<br>Standing there, listening to the boys sing their message for Kurt, he felt truly happy. He forgot that on Monday he was opening himself back up to hate and bullying, not to mention fighting Rachel for solos _again_. He even forgot that he and Blaine weren't talking. He was just there in the moment, staring at the look of love on the boys' faces.  
>The song came to a close, and Kurt blinked a few times to free himself of the prickling feeling you get in your eyes when you are close to tears.<br>'That was... amazing!' He laughed, almost unsure of what to say. 'Thank you.'  
>'We couldn't let one of our favourite members leave without saying a proper goodbye, could we?' Jeff piped up with a cheeky wink. Kurt just laughed again, feeling bad for judging the boy so harshly at lunch.<br>'But how did you all know?' He wondered, speaking to the group at large as the audience left.  
>'Blaine told us,' Wes answered, apparently oblivious to the couple's fallout.<br>'... oh.' Kurt's smile faltered as he remembered that they currently weren't talking.  
>'We're really gunna miss you, Kurt!' Nick declared, pulling him in for a hug that all of the Warblers joined in on.<br>'I'll miss you too.' And he really would.

He left the hall last, quite a while after most of the others. He just wanted to take it all in for the last time. He remembered with a small laugh the time he sang Don't Cry For Me Argentina, and Blaine had told him to put his arms down when he sang.  
><em>It was different when you sang Raise Your Glass! <em>He thought, remembering back to the energetic dance at Regionals. His heart felt heavy as he thought of the lively boy he missed so much, even if they _had _seen each other the previous day.  
>Walking out of the door, he saw a boy with brown eyes looking at him, waiting awkwardly in the corridor. And no matter how mad or upset he was with him, he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. Blaine was here. And somehow, that made everything alright.<br>'Hey.' Blaine greeted him, sounding slightly sheepish.  
>'Where have you <em>been<em> all day?' Kurt asked, unable to keep some of the hurt and anger out of his voice. Because he _was _mad. He needed his boyfriend, but he hadn't been there. And it really annoyed him.  
>'I... took the day off. Needed to think about some stuff.' Blaine answered, but didn't elaborate.<br>'Oh.' Was the genius response that came out of Kurt's mouth. 'And?'  
>'Still thinking.' Blaine replied. He didn't look mad, just troubled.<br>'Right. Well... okay.' An awkward silence hung in the air, palpable and suffocating. Kurt searched for a new topic, and then remembered that Blaine had informed the other boys he was leaving school. He was grateful for it, and he wasn't petty enough to not thank the boy for doing him the favour.  
>'Oh, and thanks for telling the Warblers I was leaving. You didn't have to do that.' He tried a weak little smile.<br>'I just thought they had the right to know.' Blaine answered, edgy. 'Some people don't appreciate things like this just being sprung on them. They like to know in advance, so they can... get used to it.' But the look on his face told Kurt he didn't mean Nick or Wes.  
>'We still talking about the Warblers here?' He asked, eyebrow raised.<br>'Yup.' Clearly he wasn't in a chatty mood.  
>Kurt sighed. 'Look, I know you hate me right now, but-'<br>'What?' Blaine interrupted him. 'No I don't! Kurt, listen.' He closed the significantly large gap in between the two and took Kurt's hands in his. 'I could _never_ hate you. Ever. How could I? You're... you're amazing. But I need some time to think about stuff.' He looked sincere, like he had no intentions of just leading Kurt on.  
>The younger boy nodded, and when he blinked a few tears rolled down his face. Blaine teared up at this, almost in response to Kurt's sadness.<br>He brought his lips up to meet Kurt's in a sad, soft kiss, full of love and longing. Kurt couldn't tell if it was the best or worst kiss the two had shared.  
>They pulled away, their faces both wet with tears, and Blaine slowly turned around and walked down the corridor alone. He didn't look back.<br>Kurt stood there for a while, watching the smaller figure disappear.  
>Blaine had been there. But somehow, it felt as though nothing would ever be alright.<p> 


	3. Welcome Back

The weekend passed way too slowly for Kurt's liking, and he didn't hear a word from Blaine. It hurt whenever he looked at his phone and saw there were no new messages or missed calls. When his phone _did_ buzz he nearly gave Finn a heart attack, as he gasped and grabbed it like a lifeline, only to be utterly disappointed when he realised it was a stupid chain message from Mercedes. He wasn't mad at Blaine for needing some time. He was however annoyed at the fact Blaine hadn't told him how much time he needed. Maybe even Blaine didn't know.  
>No one other than Finn knew he was going back to McKinley on Monday. He wanted it to be a surprise. And besides, if the jocks found out it'd only give them more of an opportunity to stop for slushies. And Kurt wasn't ready for another slushy facial – he was far too used to the friendly, slushy-free halls of Dalton Academy.<p>

Monday morning found Kurt grooming his hair intensely, wanting to look good on his first day back. He thought back to his first day at Dalton, how he had practically buzzed with excitement at the prospect of seeing Blaine every day. The whole weekend had passed without a word from the other boy, Kurt noted sadly. Just then, his phone buzzed on the table, and Blaine's name lit up the screen. Kurt snatched up the phone and opened the message, eager to see if their problems were finally over. Have a great first day, it read. Let me know if anyone gives you any trouble. He couldn't help but smile - maybe they _would_ be alright.

He walked into school with his head held high that day, not prepared to let anything bring him down.  
>'Hey look, the queer's back!' He heard some football jock shout loudly. Kurt just caught sight of one of those infamous iced beverage before he squeezed his eyes shut, knowing there was no time to run. He heard the familiar splash but didn't feel it, and only then was he brave enough to open his eyes, and was astounded at the sight.<br>Finn stood in front of him, with something in his hands – an umbrella? It was dripping with slush, but had done the job; it had saved both Finn and Kurt from humiliation.  
>'Nice try, fellas,' Finn smirked. The jocks shuffled, off looking aggravated, but too shocked to do anything.<br>'Finn, what the-' Kurt started, utterly stunned.  
>'It was Rachel's idea; she was a little sick of having to clean the food colourings out of her hair.'<br>As much as Kurt couldn't stand Rachel at times, he thought that at least this time she had definitely done something right. 'Good reflexes,' he noted with a smile. 'Thanks.'  
>'No problem,' Finn replied, smiling at Kurt but it didn't quite reach his eyes – there was something much more serious there. 'Listen, Kurt. We missed you way too much when you went to Dalton – we're not letting you go back any time soon. We're here to protect you, for real this time.'<br>Kurt just nodded, a significantly large lump in his throat denying any formation of words.  
>'Thanks.' He managed to choke out, barely audible above the chatter of students in the corridor.<br>'Any time,' Finn grinned, then looked at the umbrella in disgust. 'Uh... I'm gunna go and wash this off in the bathroom.'  
>'Better than washing it off your face,' Kurt joked with a smile as he found his voice again.<br>'Totally! See you later.' And with that Finn was gone, but luckily Kurt spied Mercedes out of the corner of his eye before he could feel lonely. He raced over to her, but her back was to him, getting some books out of her locker. Kurt tried one of his famous one-liners to catch her attention, but he honestly couldn't think of a single one.  
>He was petrified that she would turn around and not be at all happy he was here. I mean, rationally he knew she would be, because they were best friends and best friends liked spending time together, but what if she was so used to him not being there all the time, that she had gotten over him? Had made new friends, had replaced him with – God forbid – <em>Rachel<em>? I mean, sure, he _did _like Rachel, as annoying as she could be, but to replaced by her was a thought he simply could not cope with.  
>And so he just stood there, his mouth slightly open, as though he'd had a witty comment at one point, but it had got lost on its journey from his brain down to his mouth. He was sure he looked ridiculous, but his entire body was seized with this completely <em>more <em>ridiculous train of thought.  
>So when Mercedes <em>finally <em>looked up, Kurt was extremely embarrassed and finally snapped out of it, straightening up and shutting his mouth with a light snap.  
>'H-hey,' he stuttered with the slightest of smiles.<br>'Kurt?' The girl asks, a confused look on her face for only a second before she pulls him in for a hug. 'Oh my _God_! What are you _doing _here?' She cried happily, and all of Kurt's stupid fears dissolved into the embrace.  
>'I'm back!' He told her with a grin. 'After you told me that Karofsky was gone, I knew I should come back. I missed you all.'<br>'Especially me though, right?' She answered with that famous Mercedes smile.  
>'Did you even have to ask?' Kurt laughed as they pulled away.<br>'We have _so much _to talk about!' She cried, ecstatic. 'It feels like we haven't talked in so long!'  
>It wasn't true; they had seen each other most weekends, if the homework load wasn't too heavy, or if Blaine hadn't already asked Kurt to hang out with him, but it definitely did feel like a million years ago.<br>'I know! Well now you have me _all day long_.' He laughed, feeling immensely happy. Because he was back with Mercedes, his best friend _ever_ and God was he happy that they made it through the whole Mercedes-liking-him-then-trashing-his-car episode, because he honestly did not know what he would do without her.  
>'So, how's Blaine?' She asked, smiling knowingly. Only she didn't know, not really. She didn't know that they were having... problems? <em>No<em>, Kurt told himself firmly. _They weren't having problems, Blaine just needed time to think. But he said he didn't hate me, and that's good enough for me. For now._  
>'Kurt?' Mercedes prompted, her smile faltering a little.<br>'Things with Blaine are... complicated at the minute. I don't think he was too happy with me moving back here. He said he needed time to think.'  
>'About what?'<br>'Me. Us. Him. I don't know,' Kurt's bleak tone reflected how he felt – he was just tired. He missed him so much, and no matter how overjoyed he was at being back with Mercedes and the rest of New Directions, he couldn't help but feel... lonely. Because McKinley was lacking Blaine's smile and the sound of his laugh when he thought something was _really _funny and the way he could light up a room just by _sitting_ there and it was hard to ever imagine him at this school, because McKinley's hallways were dreary and drab and the exact opposite of everything Blaine stood for and _why _did he come back again?  
>'He'll come round.' Mercedes said, the look in her eye showing how sure she was.<br>'You think?' Kurt was intrigued by how definite she seemed.  
>'Can you remember that time we went to Breadstix together, before you two <em>finally <em>started dating?' Kurt nodded in response. 'You should have seen the way he was looking at you. It was like you were the most amazing thing he'd ever laid his eyes on! And that was _before _you got together. He'll come round.' She repeated with a smile, and Kurt was sure she wasn't just saying it; she genuinely meant it.  
>Kurt smiled as he looked at his best friend. 'Thanks,' he said simply, and Mercedes just grinned even wider and dragged him to their first class of the day.<br>The only spare seat in the class was next to Sam, and Kurt felt bad for him as he sat down; it seemed like he still hadn't made any friends. He hoped that now he was in a relationship they could actually be friends without any nasty rumours spreading. But this _was _McKinley.  
>'Hey,' he greeted him as he put his bag on the floor carefully.<br>'Kurt! Hi!' Sam sounded really pleased to see the boy, which was nice. 'What are you doing here?'  
>'I simply missed you all too much!' He joked, even though it <em>was <em>true. 'But I'll explain it properly in Glee club today.'  
>'Cool. So how did Dalton treat you?'<br>'It was actually really good. They gave me a bird as a pet, but then it died, so Blaine kissed me.' Kurt replied happily, seeing nothing wrong with the sentence. Then he laughed at the confused look on Sam's face. 'Never mind.'

Classes were so much easier here than at Dalton, and so he knew he wouldn't have trouble catching up.  
>Throughout the day he met up with all of New Directions again, and for the most part they seemed really glad to have him back. Rachel practically <em>attacked <em>him with a hug, and whispered in his ear, 'You can have one of my solos. Just one.' Which, for Rachel, was about as generous as humanly possible. Kurt laughed but was actually really touched.  
>The only person he hadn't seen yet was Mr Schuester, his favourite teacher. He was excited to see him again.<br>'Okay guys, settle down!' Mr Schue called as everyone except Kurt filled their seats. 'We really need to settle down on a set list for Nationals. Now obviously we should open on a Journey song-' the teacher stopped short as he saw Kurt in the doorway. 'Kurt! What are you doing here?'  
>'Do I have to audition to be in Glee club?' He joked. Schue laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. 'It's great to have you back!'<br>Kurt sang a solo that day. He sang it for New Directions, to say he missed them. But it was okay now, because he was back and he didn't plan on leaving again.  
>He explained afterwards exactly why he <em>was <em>back, and then the entire group got up and sang a song for him, a little rough because it was their first time through it, but wasn't that when they were at their best?  
>Listening to the group sing for him, he felt tears sting at his eyes. <em>This is where I belong<em>, he thought happily. _I'm home._

_So yeah, not so much Klaine in this one, sorry about that! But more in the next chapter I assure you :)  
>Also, sorry if the last six hundred words or so aren't very good – I had it all typed up and then managed to delete a HUGE chunk. Grr.<em>


	4. Somewhere Only We Know

Kurt wanted to tell Blaine all about his first day back at McKinley, but he thought that it'd just rub his boyfriend's face in the fact that he was enjoying going to a school that he wasn't at. Maybe that was crazy. Maybe Blaine wouldn't think that. But at the minute he had _no idea _what Blaine was thinking.  
>So he just stared at Blaine's number on his screen for a little while before sighing and throwing it back on his bed. He was never one to initiate things between them; the only time he had was when they were at the coffee shop way back in February, and had told him that he thought Blaine was going to sing a song for him; it resulted in him being kindly turned down by the older boy, and although he knew now that those feelings were – <em>finally <em>– requited, he still didn't like making the first move all too much.

The next day at school wasn't as good as his first. It wasn't _bad_, but the initial excitement at being back with his friends had worn off, and soon enough it was back to normality, like he'd never even left at all, except for the occasional inside joke he picked up on that he just slide, not caring if he was included in it or not. He was happy for the most part; he just wished Blaine was, too. He couldn't stand the thought of a sad, lonely Blaine. But did he even miss Kurt? The lack of communication suggested otherwise.  
>'Let's eat lunch outside today,' Mercedes broke into Kurt's thoughts at the end of class, and she had this weird, knowing smirk on her face that made Kurt feel a little uncomfortable. He knew the girl well enough to know she was up to something.<br>'Why?' He asked warily, but she just grinned and tugged him along.  
>They sat down with their trays next to the rest of the Glee club, who had decided to eat outside too.<br>It was a nice enough day, so he guessed it wasn't anything out of the usual, but Kurt didn't start eating his salad straight away; he expecting something to happen. _What _exactly, he didn't know.  
>Ten minutes passed and, much to Kurt's disappointment, nothing happened.<br>He was half way through his life when he spotted it – a dark blue blazer that was all too familiar. Before he could react, a whole _flood _of them appeared, on the top of the concrete steps they'd performed Empire State Of Mind on at the start of the school year.  
>'Oh my God,' he breathed as he caught sight of a boy with gelled hair and chocolate brown eyes.<br>The boy smiled, opened his mouth and started to sing.

The Warblers backed Blaine up perfectly as always, and it was clear that they had rehearsed this. A lot. Kurt couldn't think straight, and so he just sat there, mouth open, listening to the song.

_I walked across an empty land  
>I knew the pathway like the back of my hand<br>I felt the earth beneath my feet  
>Sat by the river and it made me complete<em>

Blaine didn't take his eyes off Kurt. He just kept looking at him with such emotion in his eyes, as though he was praying he could convey his message to Kurt through them, through the song.

_Oh simple thing, where have you gone?  
>I'm getting old and I need something to rely on<br>So tell me when you're gonna let me in  
>I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin<em>

_I came across a fallen tree  
>I felt the branches of it looking at me<br>Is this the place we used to love?  
>Is this the place that I've been dreaming of?<em>

He knew people were staring – why wouldn't they be? It was a full-on production, near enough – but he didn't care. He just stared at his boyfriend, taking every inch of him in. Because it had been a while since they talked last, but it had been even longer since they talked _properly_, before Kurt thought about moving back to McKinley. Way too long.

_And if you have a minute, why don't we go  
>Talk about it somewhere only we know?<br>This could be the end of everything  
>So why don't we go somewhere only we know?<br>Somewhere only we know_

To Kurt's surprise – although it shouldn't have surprised him really, since Mercedes had dragged him outside and the entire Glee club were there too, and Kurt was never wrong about that look in Mercedes' eyes – New Directions got up and joined the Warblers for the end chorus, their voices going together even better than Kurt could have imagined.

_Oh, this could be the end of everything  
>So why don't we go somewhere only we know?<br>Somewhere only we know_  
><em>Somewhere only we know.<em>

By now Blaine was standing right in front of Kurt, and he had the same look in his eyes that he had when Kurt sang Blackbird, but back then he had been oblivious to what it meant. He knew now, though. Knew that it meant that Blaine still wanted to see Kurt. That they could get through this.

As the song came to a gentle close, Kurt opened his mouth to speak, and people were clapping, _actually clapping_, and there were tears in his eyes, but he wasn't going to cry, because that would be silly and they would get in the way of what he needed to say.  
>Blaine beat him to it, though, and what he said stopped him short.<br>'I'm moving to McKinley.' He grinned, but Kurt was reminded of another look, the one he'd used when he said he wanted to sing a duet with Kurt back at Dalton; apprehensive happiness.  
>'Wh-what?' Kurt almost screeched. Great. The first thing he says to his boyfriend after not talking to him for <em>days <em>and he makes a complete fool of himself. Really smooth, Kurt.  
>'I'm finishing off this semester at Dalton first, and then I'm transferring,' he explained. 'That is, if you want me to?' And the way he looked at Kurt almost broke the latter's heart.<br>Kurt didn't bother replying, he just jumped up and hugged him tight, breathing in his smell. _God _had he missed him, and he told him that, his face buried in Blaine's shoulder. It came out muffled, but from the light kiss Blaine placed on his head, Kurt knew he'd heard it.  
>'I missed you, too,' he whispered into his ear, and everything felt right.<p>

They went back inside together, into an empty classroom to talk. Because Blaine was a little mad that Kurt hadn't told him sooner, and Kurt was _really _mad that Blaine had avoided him for a while.  
>'I didn't know how to tell you I was leaving,' Kurt reasoned. 'I thought you'd be mad. I thought you'd break up with me.'<br>'What?'He seemed genuinely shocked at that accusation. 'Of course I wouldn't! I would just-'  
>'Completely ignore me for a while instead?' Kurt countered, one eyebrow raised expertly.<br>That kind of stopped Blaine. 'Well. Okay, yeah. But I needed to think about stuff.'  
>'Stuff. Like, whether or not you wanted to see me still?' And although the comment was laced with sarcasm, Kurt was still scared of the answer.<br>Blaine blinked. 'No. Like whether or not I wanted to move to McKinley.' He paused and searched Kurt's face for a while. 'Is that what you thought I was thinking about?' He asked him quietly.  
>Kurt looked away, not knowing what to say.<br>'Wow. So I am officially the most clueless guy _ever_.' Blaine declared, and he really _did _look puzzled. He pulled Kurt's hands into his, and waited until Kurt looked into his eyes before he continued. 'There wasn't a moment,' he started softly, 'where I even _considered _breaking up with you. It was just inevitable that we would stay together. It was just a matter of deciding if I wanted to go back to how things were before you moved to Dalton – where we met in the middle for coffee and talked on the phone a lot – or if I wanted to move to McKinley to be with you every day. Naturally, the second option was a _lot _more appealing, but I needed to talk to my parents about it first, and the rest of the Warblers. And then I was so busy with practicing that song, that I barely had time to do anything else.'  
>'You shouldn't move to McKinley just for me.' Kurt told him, even though his mind was screaming that yes, he should, because then they could be together again every day.<br>'I'm not.' Blaine replied, looking at Kurt steadily. 'I think I needed that time away from you to really decide why I wanted to leave, you know? I wanted to make sure you were the _only _reason. I hated myself for so long for running away, and I've never truly forgiven myself for it. It's like this is my chance to stand up for myself. To stop running.' And he seemed so set on it, that Kurt knew even if he didn't want Blaine to transfer – which wasn't at all true – he wouldn't be able to stop him.  
>'And seeing me every day is just an added bonus?' Kurt joked, and Blaine laughed <em>adorably<em>.  
>'Of course.' He smiled, and then he was kissing Kurt softly. It was sweet and chaste and Kurt loved it, loved everything he and Blaine did together.<br>Blaine pulled away with a grin. 'Did I mention I missed you?' He asked.  
>'You might have mentioned it,' Kurt replied, pulling him back in.<p>

Much to the couple's disdain, Blaine had to leave soon after that to get back to Dalton.  
>'How did you even get out of class?' Kurt asked, knowing from experience how long it took to get from Westerville to Lima.<br>'We told them that the Warblers had a special performance planned, and felt it was only right to keep the club going even after our loss at Regionals.' The voice Blaine put on as he said it make Kurt laugh; he could just imagine the boy saying all of this to his teachers, that smooth, confident smile plastered on his face.  
>Saying goodbye was hard, knowing they wouldn't see each other at school the next day. But they arranged to meet halfway for coffee the next day, and that night they fell asleep talking to each other on the phone. Everything was going to be okay.<p> 


	5. Slushies

'I'm nervous.'  
>'You shouldn't be. It'll be fine.'<br>'Still nervous.'  
>Kurt was sat in Blaine's car on the first day of the new semester. It was Blaine's first day at McKinley, and Kurt was so excited to see him on a daily basis again. During their time at different schools they had put aside every spare minute to spend time together; it annoyed Rachel, Mercedes, David and Wes – four people you don't really want to anger – but they couldn't help it. They were in love with each other. They hadn't said that yet, of course, but the feelings were there.<br>Blaine looked cute today, in skinny jeans, a stripy tee and a button-up cardigan. He looked laid back, apart from the gel in his hair like always. But Kurt liked it. It was very _Blaine_.  
>'You'll be fine. You remembered to pack a spare change of clothes though, right?' Kurt asked, knowing that even an umbrella couldn't always protect them from the wrath of the slushies.<br>'Yeah. Does being slushied hurt?' Blaine asked warily.  
>'No,' Kurt lied. 'It just feels a little cold.' Blaine could get him back later, when he found out that in reality it stung like a bitch, but there was no point scaring him now. 'You ready to go in?' He didn't want to push him, but the bell was about to go.<br>'Now or never,' Blaine said with quiet determination, and as they walked into school he grabbed Kurt's hand in his for support. It was one thing to hold hands with Blaine at Dalton, but here at McKinley it felt even better, like Blaine really didn't care who saw them together. Like he _wanted _them to know.  
>Kurt was extremely relieved to note that they didn't get slushied; they didn't even see any jocks.<p>

They saw Sam just before the bell went. He had the same first class as Blaine, and Kurt thought it would be good if they sat together.  
>'Sam, Blaine, you remember each other, right? You met at Rachel's party.' Kurt re-introduced them happily.<br>'Uh... vaguely,' Sam admitted, blushing as he thought back to the party and how drunk he'd gotten.  
>'Kind of...?' Blaine lied badly. Kurt just laughed at him.<br>'You're so not allowed to get that, drunk ever again. You kissed _Rachel_.'  
>'Please don't remind me,' he groaned. 'Not that there's anything with Rachel per se, it's just the fact that she's-'<br>'A girl?' Sam offered, and they laughed.  
>'Exactly.' Blaine grinned. 'It's like dating a Na'vi!'<br>Sam stared at him, dumbfounded. 'You... you like Avatar?' He asked hopefully.  
>'Dude.' Blaine replied seriously. 'How could you <em>not<em>?'  
>'I'll leave you two alone,' Kurt smirked as he walked off to his class, leaving the boys to continue with their conversation.<br>'Favourite HP book?' Sam asked, his eyes bright with happiness.  
>'Oh, the last one, of course! But I still love the fourth film.'<br>'_Totally_. I mean, I still think they should have included more of certain plot lines...'  
>Kurt smiled to himself; maybe Sam would finally have a real friend.<p>

Kurt's class dragged, and all he could think of was Blaine. How was his class going? Did he find it too easy? Were the teachers nice to him? Had the other students said anything mean to him? Had he made some friends?  
>He didn't know why he felt so overprotective, but he was desperate for Blaine's experience at McKinley to be the complete opposite of Kurt's before he'd transferred to McKinley. He raced out of the room at the end of class and met Blaine back at his locker, which was conveniently placed next to Kurt's.<br>'Hey!' Blaine grinned, fiddling with something in his locker. He stepped back a little, and Kurt looked at what was now stuck neatly to the inside of it; a picture of the two of them at Regionals.

Kurt grinned, thinking back to his Courage collage. Kurt moved to further investigate the picture fondly as Blaine turned around. Less than a second later he heard the splash.  
>'Aah!' Blaine yelled.<br>The jocks just laughed, not even breaking their stride. Kurt whipped around and looked at his boyfriend.  
>'Oh, Blaine!' He said sympathetically - the boy was covered from head to foot in purple ice; he had clearly been hit with one from each of the three jocks.<br>'You said it didn't hurt,' he whimpered, and the look in his eyes broke Kurt's heart.  
>'Come on,' Kurt shepherded Blaine into the nearest - and thankfully empty - restroom. He pulled Blaine's bag from his shoulder.<br>'Put your head under the sink,' he instructed him, zipping open the bag and rummaging around for new ice-free clothes.  
>'Blaine?' He asked the boy with his head angled awkwardly under the taps of the sink. 'Why did you pack <em>three<em> spare shirts?'  
>Blaine tried to answer bit his teeth were chattering so much Kurt couldn't understand a word. 'Maybe we should get you changed before we wash your hair.' He said, feeling sick that someone would do this to his boyfriend. Blaine nodded, and under the purple dye he looked extremely pale. He stood up and raised his arms as Kurt pulls his shirt off him, blushing delicately.<br>'I said I wanted to be prepared,' Blaine explained, pulling another shirt over his head and looking glum. 'I thought I might get slushied three times. I just didn't realise the attacks would be one after another.'  
>Kurt didn't really know what to say to that, and so he just led Blaine over to the sink, told him to kneel down, and began to run warm water over his head, gently cleaning away the food colourings and melted ice.<br>'Guess you're going to have to go without your beloved hair gel for the rest of the day,' Kurt smiled, trying to lighten the atmosphere.  
>Blaine didn't respond for a few minutes, and when he did it made Kurt's eyes tear up a little.<br>'I thought it'd be different here.' He whispered. 'Guess I'm just used to Dalton and its no-tolerance,' he added, slightly bitter.  
>'Hey.' Kurt said, and he stopped massaging his fingers into Blaine's curls and staring him dead in the eyes. 'It <em>is <em>going to be different here. I almost got slushied my first day back, but Finn came out of nowhere with this umbrella and blocked it. They haven't done it since. I think you'll be safe.'  
>'You think?' Blaine asked in an adorable yet saddening small voice.<br>'Of course! Everyone _loved _you back at Dalton. They'll love you here, too.' Kurt smiled. 'Or,' he added as an after-thought, 'at least not hate you enough to throw drinks in your face daily.'  
>Blaine smiled, and Kurt carried on rubbing at his hair until it was clean again.<br>'You can stand up again now.' He said after a while, enjoying the feel of his boyfriend's hair under his finger tips.  
>Blaine did, and smiled gratefully at Kurt, that look of adoration on his face again. Kurt noticed that lately Blaine wore that expression pretty much every time he looked at him.<br>After Kurt persuaded Blaine that he would _not _get slushied two more times that day, they used a spare shirt as a towel, and he felt a hell of a lot better after getting cleaned off and warmed up. They walked out of the restroom hand in hand, but Blaine stopped conveniently close to the three guys who had slushied him.  
>'Hey Kurt, you like grapes, right?' He asked in a raise voice, a too-innocent-to-really-be-innocent look on his face.<br>'Uhm, I guess?' Kurt answered, confused.  
>And with that Blaine kissed him deeply and passionately, a kiss that normally only took place in Blaine's dorm room back at Dalton or in Kurt's bedroom with the door firmly closed.<br>They finally came back up for air and Kurt was shocked into silence.  
>'Man, those slushies make kissing boys taste <em>delicious<em>!' Blaine stated loudly. 'Let's go!'  
>He skipped off, dragging Kurt behind him, leaving three angry and uncomfortable homophobes in their wake.<p> 


	6. New Directions

_Not a very big chapter, sorry about that! I have a lot more wrote, just sections that I need to tie into future chapters. I'm going back to school tomorrow so I probably won't have as much time to write, so motivational reviews would be greatly appreciated! :D_

'So do I get to audition for Glee club?' Blaine asked hopefully on their second day of school, as he walked with Kurt to the practice room. He was excited to start singing again, curious to find out what being a part of New Directions would feel like.  
>'If Lauren Zizes got in without auditioning then I think you'll be fine, too,' Kurt smirked.<br>'But weren't they desperate for another member then? Maybe now they'll take advantage of being able to be picky,' he grinned in response.  
>'Maybe,' Kurt mused. 'But I doubt it. Have you met Mr Schuester yet?' Blaine shook his head, so Kurt continued. 'He's sweet, though far too hesitant when it comes to allowing the Glee club to sing songs by <em>real <em>idols.'  
>Blaine laughed. 'You think I'll get a solo?' He joked, although he did wonder; back at Dalton he was <em>always <em>the soloist, and it was fun. So sue him if he wanted to stay in the spotlight.  
>Kurt sighed. 'Probably not. Not because you're not good enough or anything!' He hurried to add. 'It's just that Mr Schuester has his favourites. He knows where he stands with the Glee club's arrangement; why bother changing it? So I doubt you <em>will <em>get a solo, no matter how much better you are than Finn.'  
>'You really think I'm better?' Blaine smiled, not even caring about the fact he wouldn't be the favourite in this club, so long as he was the favourite to the only person that mattered – his boyfriend.<br>'Of course.' Kurt smiled, and if they weren't walking down the halls Blaine would have kissed him right there and then. With a slight laugh he reflected back on the post-slushy kiss, deciding that in reality it only occurred because of his anger and need to fight back at the bullies.  
>It was still a great kiss, though.<p>

They entered the practice room and Kurt hurried to sit down next to Mercedes, leaving an empty chair next to him for Blaine. Blaine stood awkwardly at the front for a moment before turning to whom he could only presume was Mr Schuester.  
>'Hi there!' Mr Schuster greeted him, holding out his hand, which Blaine accepted and shook, feeling a little more confident. 'I'm Mr Schue. Blaine, right?'<br>'Nice to meet you,' Blaine smiled.  
>'Guys, listen up!' Schue called to the room at large. 'This is Blaine Anderson. He just transferred from Dalton Academy. I think we should all give him a warm welcome to New Directions!'<br>'Wait, what?' Puck called up. 'No way! What if he's a spy?'  
>'Yeah, this is just like Jesse St James all over again!' Quinn yelled.<br>Blaine froze. This isn't the reception he'd been expecting.  
>'For your <em>information<em>, Quinn, Jesse St James came from the opposing team. The Warblers aren't even in the competition anymore.' And there was Kurt, coming to his rescue.  
>'Maybe he's working for Vocal Adrenaline; they could have persuaded him to spy on us for them,' she countered, crossing her arms.<br>'_Why _would he do that?' Mercedes asked, eyebrow raised in a way that made Blaine believe she'd had lessons from his boyfriend.  
>'Guys, <em>guys<em>!' Mr Schue intercepted, looking at them all sternly, while Blaine kind of just stood there awkwardly. 'Maybe you should give Blaine a chance to speak.'  
>And suddenly all eyes were back on him.<br>'Right,' he started lamely. 'Yeah. I didn't come here to spy on you, or doing anything to throw the competition. I moved from Dalton because I wanted to stop running from the bullies, and I really missed Kurt.' He looked straight at the aforementioned boy and smiled, his heart fluttering at the responsive smile back. 'I _love _singing, and Kurt said I'd really like the New Directions. If you don't want me to join I understand, but I'd like at least the opportunity to audition?' He looked around at them questioningly, waiting for someone to say _something_.  
>'I think we should let him audition,' Mercedes declared, and Rachel and Kurt agreed fervently.<br>'Go ahead, Blaine,' Mr Schue smiled.

Everything went silent, and Blaine stood there for a minute before deciding on a song. He turned to the guy on the guitar behind him and asked him if he knew the song, feeling encouraged when the man nodded.  
>The familiar strums that opened the song relaxed him enough to start singing. It was a laid back song, different to what the Warblers sang.<p>

_Wake up, I'm lonely, let's talk about how we  
>Love to talk on the telephone<br>We would hang up and go back to absolutely nothing  
>And by absolutely nothing I mean pick up the phone.<em>

All of the nerves he had felt at the start of the song vanished as the chorus picked up, and the members of New Directions couldn't help but smile.

_The sun is out, the moon is smiling  
>In the corner of his eye he's crying for his<br>Next new arrival for the rest of the night.  
>Good ol' moon is like me,<br>We walk free but we're stuck in here._

_I'll pick up the comics and sympathize with Linus_  
><em>And the z's that Dagwood leaves behind.<em>  
><em>As for me, I wouldn't mind just to join him along.<em>  
><em>I mean, just look at these two pictures can you tell me what's wrong<em>

.

Kurt grinned at him, tapping his foot along to the beat. Blaine could tell he was surprised at the choice of song, which pleased him. He liked surprising Kurt.  
>The rest of song passed easily, the Glee club joining in on the '<em>Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo. Oh!<em>'

_Good ol' moon is like me,  
>We walk free<em>

_Good ol' moon is like me,_  
><em>We walk free, but we're stuck in here.<em>

Everybody clapped, even those who'd had a problem with Blaine minutes earlier.  
>'Welcome to New Directions!' Mr Schuester shouted, and at this Kurt jumped up and joined Blaine at the front, wrapping his arms around him in a celebratory hug.<br>'You were amazing,' he breathed.  
>Blaine just grinned in thanks, kissing him lightly on the cheek.<p>

Glee club at McKinley is crazy. There is no order, no raising your hand, no _gavel_. There is, however, shouting, bedlam and sing-offs.  
>Blaine knew it was going to take a while to get used to, especially when he put up his hand to ask why, instead of another Journey song, they didn't try something Top 40? And was responded with the whole club staring at him like he was deranged.<br>'We don't put our hands up here, Blaine,' Kurt whispered, raising his own arm and dragging it down with the other in a way that was all too similar to the way Blaine had during Kurt's sectionals auditions at Dalton.  
>'Oh,' he mumbled, embarrassed. 'Uh, well I was just going to suggest we do something a little more... recent?'<br>'It's great that you're giving us your input, Blaine, but I think that we have a good thing going here,' Mr Schue smiled.  
>The whole Glee club shook their heads in empathy.<br>_Wait, what_? Blaine wondered. _Did I really just get refused? _  
>Blaine was anything <em>but <em>spoiled, yet at Dalton he had always been listened to intently; he knew what he was talking about, and David, Wes and Thad were all too eager to get his opinion on song choices. _Guess it's different at McKinley_, he sighed, though it didn't really matter much. He was here with Kurt, and he'd already had one song opportunity. Now he was just being picky.  
>'He <em>never <em>listens to our suggestions.' Rachel whispered to Blaine.  
>'That's true,' Kurt squeezed his hand in support. 'It's not just you. You should have seen the whole drama of trying to perform a Britney number!'<br>'But you _did _perform a Britney number,' Blaine countered.  
>'Yes, but only because I refused to back down. Although I doubt any amount of pestering would cure his Journey addiction completely.'<br>Blaine just grinned, and he didn't even care that they probably wouldn't be able to sing something new. Who cared about what song they sung? He was sat there with his boyfriend, who was insanely happy to be back with his friends and all too eager to introduce them all to Blaine. And the look on Kurt's face was better than every Top 40 song _combined_.


	7. Football

_Hi guys!  
>I just wanted to say if you're still reading this, thank you so much! Seriously, you can't believe how happy I am that people actually like what I'm writing.<br>I'm not a big fan of this chapter so maybe write me a review with feedback? It only takes a second and at this moment in time I'm seriously considering just wrapping it up next chapter.  
>Enjoy!<em>

'Hey, so I was talking to that Jacob Ben Israel kid today.' Blaine told Kurt as they sat on the latter's bed after school. He'd been at McKinley for two weeks now and had came round to catch up on some work, but the textbooks and paper sat abandoned on the bedside table after they decided to just sit and talk; the homework could wait and the boys loved the hours they spent talking about everything and nothing in particular. It reminded them how perfectly suited they were. 'You know, the kid who runs that online blog?' He prompted unnecessarily. Of course Kurt knew him; he had been at McKinley _way _longer than Blaine.  
>'What were you talking to <em>him<em> for?' Kurt laughed. Jacob Ben Israel was weird, and _mean_ too, judging by his blog posts. Blaine usually had very little tolerance for mean people.  
>'He was showing me some of New Directions' old performances from before you transferred to Dalton. Apparently he has access to the security cameras or something.'<br>'Oh, it figures they'd have cameras in the auditorium, seen as though they used to hire it out.' Kurt smiled, happy that Blaine had seen the performances he was so proud of. 'Hey, did you see me singing Rose's Turn?' Kurt was especially proud of that song.  
>'I'm not talking about the ones in the auditorium,' Blaine admitted, looking slightly devious, his tone quiet but kind of... playful. 'He showed me the ones you performed at the assemblies.'<br>Kurt froze. It may have been a long time ago but he could still remember the riots those songs had caused. He was glad _he _hadn't watched those videos; the memories were mortifying enough.  
>'Oh.' he said, blushing furiously.<br>'I especially enjoyed Push It, but Toxic was good too.' Blaine informed him. He raised his eyebrows and grinned, looking straight at Kurt. The younger blushed even more, if that was possible.  
>'Why didn't you tell me you could dance like that? I thought you had as much sexual appeal as a baby penguin, as you put it?'<br>'I do,' Kurt replied stiffly. 'That should have been sufficient evidence if Animal wasn't.'  
>'Sufficient evidence? What are you talking about?' Blaine asked, eyes wide in disbelief. 'Kurt, that was... you were...' he trailed off; he had a dapper reputation to maintain and his thoughts were anything <em>but<em>.  
>'Embarrassing, I know!' Kurt buried his face in his hands, tears welling up in his eyes. 'Can we just drop it? Please?'<br>'I didn't think it was embarrassing,' Blaine told him simply. He gently pulled Kurt's arms away from his face, and, when Kurt still wouldn't meet his gaze, he placed a hand under his boyfriend's chin and gently lifted it up so that he could see Kurt's beautiful eyes.  
>Blaine struggled to find the right words – he wanted to tell Kurt exactly what he thought, that it <em>was<em> sexy and hot and everything his teenage mind craved, but Kurt was a romanticist and none of those words sounded particularly like something he would want to hear.  
>So he just kissed him, and hoped he could pour all of his thoughts and emotions into it. When they finally pulled away for air, Kurt looked at him with wide, shocked eyes, and smiled slightly.<br>'Did I ever tell you I was in the Cheerios?' He asked with a smirk.  
>Blaine just grinned and kissed him again, making it his mission to find video footage of <em>that<em>.

'Why don't you try out for the football team?' Burt asked Blaine at dinner a couple of days later. He liked staying at the Hummels' house for dinner; it was a lot more friendly than his own, and the food was better.  
>'Sorry?' Blaine asked, slightly shocked at the comment. Did they <em>know <em>how small he was?  
>'You like watching football, right? No reason you shouldn't like playing it. Finn said they're looking for a new player, and it'd be good for you to make some more friends. Maybe if they took the time to talk to you, they'd realise you're a good kid and lay off you and Kurt.'<br>Blaine was touched. Burt was clearly saying this to be nice, to help the boys. He wasn't doing it to distract him from Glee club or try to make him straight like his own father would; he just wanted the couple to be happy.  
>'Well, I'm a little small to play football, sir.' He told him, mentally cursing his height yet again.<br>'You're only a little bit shorter than Kurt, and he was the best Kicker that team ever saw,' Burt countered proudly.  
>Blaine dropped his fork with a loud clatter. 'What?' He asked, whipping his head around to turn to Kurt with enough force to cause an audible crack. 'You-you were a <em>Kicker<em>?'  
>Kurt just shrugged. 'Apparently I was good at it, too.' He smirked, thankfully not offended at Blaine's shock.<br>Burt's question was forgotten after that as Blaine begged to be told the story of Kurt's jock phase.

Blaine didn't even think about it again until two days later, when Sam, Puck, Artie, Finn and Mike all left Glee slightly early to go to football practice. It seemed like he was the only guy who _wasn't _on the team, except for Kurt of course. But even he'd been on at one point.  
>'You know, you should really think about trying out,' Finn told him with a smile. 'If Artie can make the team I'm sure Beiste would at least give you a chance.'<br>'Yeah, maybe,' he pondered. He _did _love playing, and maybe it would make the bullies lay off. He had been slushied twice again this week, although once Kurt came to his rescue with an umbrella, something he had apparently learned from Finn. It really bothered him that he'd been pinpointed as soon as he came to McKinley, and he was sure if they got to know him, they wouldn't _hate _him. Besides, he wanted to stand up to them. And if he couldn't beat them, he may as well join them. Right?  
>Prejudice is only ignorance, as he had pointed out to Kurt when they first met.<br>Which is why the next day, after Glee, he trudged out to the field and asked Coach Beiste if he could try out for the team.  
>'I know I'm a little short, but I figured I could maybe try out for Kicker?' And damn, where was that Dalton confidence now?<br>The coach looked him up and down, not helping the boy's confidence in any way, before nodding finally.  
>'Aright,' she said. 'You can try out.'<br>So he did. And even Azimio couldn't deny that he was good. _Really _good.  
>'Dude, you didn't tell me you could play!' Finn exclaimed as they squinted at the now extremely far away football.<br>Blaine just shrugged modestly, shocked himself.  
>'You're on the team,' Beiste grinned, and Blaine was met with pats on the back and high fives from the Glee guys. The other jocks avoided him, or showed their approval with a slight nod of the head, but Blaine hadn't expected any more. Not yet.<br>He couldn't wait to tell Kurt.

'Wait, _what_?' Kurt spluttered, sat across from Blaine at the Lima Bean later that night.  
>'I joined the football team,' Blaine repeated as he handed Kurt a napkin to mop up the coffee that had sloshed from his cup, and the smile slipped from his face. 'I just thought if I joined the team, the jocks would lay off us.'<br>'So you're just going to turn into one of them?' Kurt had his angry face on that never failed to petrify his boyfriend.  
>'No... I want to make them see that gay guys can play football, too.'<br>'You made your point at the try-outs, clearly.' And it hurt Blaine that Kurt wasn't even _pretending _to be happy for him.  
>'So what, you think that I should just quit now?' God, was this an argument? Blaine didn't want this to be an argument.<br>'You know what Blaine, do whatever you want,' Kurt snapped as he rose from his chair angrily, but before he could storm off in a way that would make Rachel Berry proud, Blaine reached his hand out and gently grabbed Kurt's wrist. In no way was it a strong grasp, but Kurt stopped nevertheless.  
>'Don't go,' Blaine pleaded, and Kurt hated to admit that the look in Blaine's eyes made his heart melt.<br>So Kurt sat back down and folded his arms resolutely across his chest.  
>'Look, I'll quit the team, okay?' Blaine offered. 'I just... I thought it might make things easier for us. It was a stupid idea, wasn't it?' He hung his head, ashamed.<br>'You would really quit the team for me?' Kurt asked quietly after a pause. Blaine's head snapped up immediately.  
>'Of course! But... never mind,' he trailed off hastily, feeling idiotic.<br>'What?' His boyfriend pressed, intrigued.  
>'I just... I had this picture in my head of winning the game for the team, then pointing to you in the stands. You know, like Finn used to do for Rachel or Quinn?' He blushed furiously and stared at the table. Sometimes letting the romantic side of him shine through was embarrassing.<br>He chanced a look up at Kurt through his eyelashes and was relieved to find a small smile playing on his perfect lips.  
>'Maybe it wouldn't hurt,' he relented, and Blaine cheered. Inwardly, of course; he didn't want Kurt to think he was dying to be on the team. Still, it would be nice, and maybe if he could win round the team, there would be a significant drop in bullying.<br>'If we weren't in a coffee shop in Ohio I'd kiss you right now,' he whispered instead.  
>Kurt merely grinned in response, whispering, 'screw it,' as he pulled the boy in and closed the distance between their lips.<p> 


	8. Prom Night

Can't believe I'm on Chapter 8 and I've only just remembered this! I don't own Glee. :)  
>Long chapter, didn't realise I had so much to write!<br>Please, please, please review! It means a lot and I really want to know how improve, or even prompts would be appreciated! I've decided to keep writing, but with exams coming up I'm not too sure how frequent it will be. Hopefully this longer chapter makes up for it?

_You can do this. You can do this.  
><em>The thought bounced around Blaine's head as he took a deep breath to steady himself. It was going to be okay, of course it was, it was only a stupid football game!  
>The first he'd ever played, admittedly, but still.<br>And they kinda needed to win this one, if they wanted to qualify. No pressure.  
>He was sat in the locker room with the rest of the team, and though he tried his best to listen to Coach Beiste's pep talk, he couldn't stop but feeling terrified. She finished up and the players made their way out of the school and on to the field, but Blaine stayed on the bench, needing a minute.<br>He instantly relaxed as he heard the voice from behind him, his heart beating at an unhealthy rate.  
>'Shouldn't you be out on the field?'<br>Blaine didn't look round, just kept staring at the wall he was facing – he didn't want Kurt to see him so _nervous_ – but his boyfriend merely walked round and into Blaine's viewpoint.  
>'Yeah,' he managed to get out finally, realising a little too late that the question wasn't rhetorical. 'Was just about to go.'<br>A small smile played on the taller boy's lips, his eyes brightening a little. 'Are you nervous?' He asked, a little incredulously but in no way mean.  
>'Please don't judge me,' he mumbled absent-mindedly, a little confused at the way Kurt's smile stretched into a grin.<br>'I think it's adorable,' Kurt stated, and with a happy pang it clicked into place. 'I think _you're _adorable, and the only people that are going to be dying tonight are the people in that audience, because you are going to kill this thing.' And so what if it was a little out of context? It reminded them both of that first, glorious week of their relationship, the feelings of nerves and something else less to do with the competition and more to do with thoughts of _at last _and chaste kisses that that lasted brief seconds and decidedly less chaste ones that didn't which mingled together to cause a sensation much like butterflies in their stomachs.  
>Kurt swooped down for a kiss and Blaine could feel the smile against his lips.<br>_This is where I belong_, he thought. _This is where I should always be_.  
>And the thought that Kurt would always be there for him, right beside him, for as long as Blaine wanted him was enough to make him jump off the bench and out of the door, barely hearing Kurt's shouts of 'good luck!' over the thumping of his heart in his ears.<p>

Kurt slipped onto the bench at the very bottom of the bleachers, wanting to be as close to Blaine as possible, just in case. He knew that Blaine was good at football – great in fact, but perhaps he was just a little biased – due to the times he'd sat and watched in on practice, but he also knew how small his boyfriend was, and how vicious the other players could get. At least this way he could get to Blaine in as little time as possible if, God forbid, something did happen.  
>The game started, and Kurt held his breath, equal parts proud and petrified.<p>

Blaine was entirely in the game, following the ball was his eyes and dodging out of the way of the burlier looking players, trying not to think of how it would feel to be crushed by one of them. Time was running out and the score was close – _really _close – and he knew it was up to him now. But could he do it?  
>Just then he glanced out to the stands, something catching his eye.<br>Kurt had jumped up, screaming the Kicker's name at the top of his lungs, wearing the same foam finger he'd wore at Regionals as he cheered on the New Directions. Blaine remembered the line of Warblers all sporting the accessory with a laugh, and it was all the support he needed.

When he won them the game that night, he did one better than just _pointing _at Kurt in the crowds. He ran over to where he was sat and dragged him onto the pitch, ignoring his startled (and extremely adorable) sounds of protest. Dragged him right in the middle, where the rest of the team were cheering and clapping each other on the backs, and _then _he pointed to him.  
>'This is my boyfriend!' He screamed, and some people clapped louder, and others just continued at the same volume, not caring that the guy was gay because he'd just won them the freaking game and he could do whatever he wanted so long as he kept playing like <em>that<em>.  
>Kurt blushed, and Blaine couldn't resist from gathering the boy up into a tight embrace, wanting to kiss him but holding back, because he didn't want to push his luck.<br>And the crowd was still screaming and Kurt was warm against him, and everything was incredibly _right_, and he'd been waiting for a while for the exact moment to say this, and it was here now, it was most definitely here.  
>'Kurt, will you please go to prom with me?' He breathed into his ear hopefully, pulling back to look at the shocked expression on his face, the glimmer of hope and want in his eyes.<br>'Of course I will!' He practically cried, as if he'd waited his whole life to be asked that, and he probably had, and Blaine couldn't even put into words how happy he was to be the person making Kurt look like that, kissing him on the cheek softly, a sweet brush that was innocent enough but promised more later, everything later, because there always _would _be a later.  
>There would be a forever.<p>

Blaine knew it was going to take more than one winning game to change the gays' status at McKinley, but there was no denying that it helped. Or at least, it helped _Blaine_. But soon enough that would be extended to his boyfriend, too, the older boy thought defiantly as he watched the jocks pass them in the halls, one muttering under his breath.  
>'Sup lady, sale on at Forever 21?' He asked, earning a chuckle from the others. Kurt pretended to ignore it but Blaine knew it hurt.<br>'Hey, that's not cool,' Blaine called out at the retreating figures. They stopped and turned.  
>'It's not?' One asked, slightly menacing.<br>'No, it isn't. Coach Beiste says we have to respect our fellow football players on the team if we wanna win. You disrespect my boyfriend, you disrespect me. Don't think I won't let you down in the games if you don't lay off Kurt.' His hand grasped the younger boy's tight. He was lying about losing the game on purpose, mostly. But they didn't have to know that.  
>Azimio looked a little worried at this, not knowing enough about Blaine to deduce whether or not he was telling the truth. 'Fine,' he gave in, unhappy.<br>'Now what do you say to Kurt?' He asked pointedly, looking at the one who made the comment.  
>'I don't have anything to say to him!' He snapped back stubbornly.<br>'Fine,' Blaine shrugged. 'Oh, by the way, tell Beiste I'm gunna have to miss football practice tonight, there's an America's Next Top Model marathon on that I _really_ can't afford to miss,' he added nonchalantly.  
>'Alright!' The boy groaned angrily. 'Sorry Kurt,' he grumbled. Kurt nodded his acceptance.<br>'Change of plans,' Blaine beamed. 'Looks like I can make practice after all.'  
>The jocks walked off quickly, wanting to get out of the situation, no doubt to unload their stresses via a good slushy attack on some poor, unsuspecting victim.<br>Both boys were quiet for a while after that, and Blaine was just about to make some sort of funny comment to lighten the mood when Kurt spoke.  
>'Does it bother you, when they say things like that?' Kurt asked quietly, looking up at Blaine with voulnerable eyes.<br>'Of course it does. I hate it when people say things to you – I just want to protect you,' he answered, rubbing his thumb along the back of Kurt's hand soothingly.  
>The younger boy just shook his head, staring down at the floor. 'That's not what I meant. Doesn't it... embarrass you? They're teasing you when they say it, too.'<br>Confusion clouded Blaine's features. 'Why would I be embarrassed?'  
>'Because while I find my sense of style fabulous, I do realise that it is a little over the top for Ohio. And it often results in feedback like <em>that<em>. I can dial it down a little, if you like.' But the look he gave Blaine made it clear that he didn't want to; he liked who he was and it broke Blaine's heart to know that Kurt thought he didn't feel the exact same way.  
>'I <em>love<em> your clothes,' he assured him. 'Sure it's different to the way most of the other guys dress around here, but I don't really see the attraction of a letterman's jacket anyway. I don't wear mine. The way you dress reflects _you_, and I don't want you to change for anything. I actually... think you're kind of perfect.' And although that last bit didn't come out as smoothly as he had hoped, the sincere tone he was aiming for was definitely there.  
>'I like your gelled hair, you know.' Kurt confessed quietly. 'I pretend that I don't, but I do. It's like... it symbolises you. Controlled, collected. Sometimes I wonder if your curls show another side of you.'<br>'Maybe they do,' he grinned, and kissed Kurt deeply, giving his boyfriend a clue if his words hadn't hinted already.  
>'I can't wait 'til you see my prom outfit!' Kurt sang after they broke apart, and Blaine couldn't wait either.<br>_Please_, he begged silently, _please be something that shows off those legs_.  
>He got his wish.<p>

Why was he so nervous? He looked fabulous, there was no doubt about it, and Blaine had already made it perfectly clear that he liked the way Kurt dressed. But this... maybe he was pushing his luck, wearing a kilt that showed off this much of his legs. He was wearing high boots, true, but there was no denying how much the skirt accentuated his legs' shape, and how tall he looked in it. He prayed that Blaine wouldn't freak out too much; this night needed to be special. He'd dreamt about it all his life.  
>Kurt took a deep breath and slowly descended the stairs, just like in the movies. Blaine stood in the living room with Burt, Carole and Finn, and the moment the boys' eyes met he also took a breath, this one a sharp intake of shock. He was trying to keep his gaze on Kurt's face, his hair, <em>anywhere<em> but the kilt and _those legs_...  
>'Wow, Kurt.' Finn piped up. 'You look awesome!'<br>Burt and Carole nodded proudly in agreement.  
>Blaine couldn't even function. Because this was his boyfriend. <em>His<em> boyfriend. And Kurt was staring at him apprehensively. Why was he looking at him like that? Did he honestly think that Blaine wouldn't _like _his outfit? Because he did. He _really _did.  
>'Photos!' Carole declared, and there really wasn't much time to talk after that. Quinn arrived, and they switched between couple photos and group photos, individuals and some of Kurt and Finn together. Halfway through, when it was Kurt and Blaine's turn again, the older boy slipped his arm around the other's waist, muttering in his ear, 'I think you look amazing, Kurt.'<br>Kurt blushed gracefully. 'I was worried you wouldn't like it,' he replied, so Blaine just squeezed his waist a little and they both grinned at the camera.  
>They met up with the rest of New Directions at Breadstix, and Kurt spent the majority of the meal practically sat on Blaine's lap. Not the latter was complaining;' the view of Kurt's legs from this angle was <em>spectacular<em>.

Kurt was surprised to find that McKinley had gone all out for prom, and looked as good as a high school in Ohio probably could. The glee club split off onto several tables, and Kurt and Blaine found themselves sat next to Sam and Mercedes, who were there together.  
>'Did you know about that?' Kurt murmured into his boyfriend's ear, glancing at the couple.<br>'Yeah, Sam mentioned that he wanted to ask her. I said it was a good idea. They seem cute together.'  
>'Yeah, they really do.' Kurt smiled, happy that Sam now not only had Blaine to talk to, but his awesome best friend, too. And even if Mercedes insisted she didn't need a man, Kurt was sure that Sam would be good to her.<br>He tried to ignore the music filling the room, telling himself that being there was enough. He didn't need to dance. He was pushing his luck even _wanting_ to dance.  
>Mercedes and Sam made their way to the dance floor, leaving Kurt and Blaine in an uncomfortable silence.<br>'So...' Kurt started awkwardly. 'You want a drink?'  
>'No.' Blaine answered simply. 'I want to dance with my boyfriend, if he'll let me.'<br>Kurt's heart spluttered in his chest, but he couldn't give in, no matter how much he wanted to.  
>'I don't think that's a good idea,' he muttered, looking down.<br>'Have you noticed that we haven't had many more run-ins with the bullies since I joined the football team?' Blaine asked him quietly. 'I'm not saying that it's all down to me. I think it helped people understand that gay guys aren't so different from everyone else, but mainly I put it down to everyone just... not caring anymore. So what if we're gay? They can't change that and they know. But maybe they also want to keep on my good side so I don't screw up the big game,' he smiled, endearingly lopsided, and it stretched into a grin as Kurt smiled, too.  
>A new song started, and both boys took a short, shallow breath, gazing at each other fondly. Blaine grabbed his boyfriend's hand and they ran over to the rest of New Directions, who were already dancing.<br>There was no way they _couldn't _dance to this song; it was the one that had started it all.  
>'I'm so glad you came to spy on us that day,' Blaine murmured to Kurt softly, thinking back to when the Warblers first sang this song, Blaine directing it to the enchanting boy he met on the staircase.<br>'I'm glad I did, too,' Kurt breathed in reply.  
>The song shifted into a slower one, and only the couples stayed on the floor. Blaine expected Kurt to turn and walk back to the table, but instead they both stayed exactly where they were. Kurt inclined his head a little, just like the way he did when they sang Baby It's Cold Outside together. It felt like a million years ago, back when they dancing around the line between Just Friends and Something More. Only it was so, so different now. Now when they stood so close that they could see every inch of the other's perfect face, they could just lean in that tiny bit further and kiss. The thought sent shivers down Blaine's spine. He nodded his head in response, and put a hand on Kurt's waist. Kurt placed his own on his boyfriend's shoulder, clasping their free hands together.<br>They danced slowly in time to the music, and when Blaine tore his gaze away from the beauty inches away from him to glance around the hall, he realised that nobody else was even _looking _at them. They didn't even care, and Blaine had never been happier in his life to go unnoticed.

Prom went by in a blur after that; before they knew it, Prom King and Queen had been announced, the last couple of songs were played and then suddenly the house lights were up and Figgins was ushering everybody out. Kurt knew that this was the time when the students evacuated and crashed someone's house for the after-party, but all he wanted was some time alone with his boyfriend. When you were dating someone like Blaine, it was hard not to get greedy.  
>'What do you want to do now?' Blaine asked as they walked hand in hand to Blaine's car.<br>'We can do whatever,' Kurt replied happily. 'This night's been better than I could have pictured.'  
>'My parents are out of town for the weekend. You could stay the night at mine?' He asked nervously. Kurt froze. Because it was prom night. And Blaine had asked him to go back to his house. And if you watched any prom-based rom-com <em>ever <em>then you would know what comes next. And he still wasn't ready for that, no matter how much they fooled around or how many times Blaine told him how sexy he was.  
>'I didn't mean it like that!' Blaine hastily amended. 'I just meant sleep. It's too soon yet, we've already talked this out.'<br>Kurt relaxed again, thankful that even Blaine wasn't completely ready either. 'Sounds perfect.'

Blaine opened his eyes blearily the following morning, squinting against the ray of light filtering in through the blinds. He gazed at the boy pressed up next to him, still sleeping, and sighed contentedly.  
><em>This is how I want to wake up every morning<em>, he thought to himself. _This is who I'm going to marry._


	9. Promise

_So I'm relatively new to FanFic and just found out how to look at your stats, and see how many hits and visitors my stories have, and wow. I was very pleasantly surprised! I didn't realise how many people had read this, but it was a lot more than the ones who've saved me or it as a favourite or got story alerts, and... yeah. Wow. So I just wanted to say now, thank you so much for reading this. Honestly, you have no idea how much this means to me! I've never really had anything I've ever been good at, so seeing that people actually like my writing makes me extremely happy.  
>Also, I wrote this qite a while back and totally forgot to upload it. Seriously, I'm like three quarters of the way through chapter 10. So sorry about that, guess you won't be waiting long for the next chapter! :D<em>

'How do you _do _it?' Finn grumbled to his step-brother as they helped each other with homework after school one Friday. Blaine was stuck at home, undergoing another one of his father's attempts at 'bonding' – basically the two trying out some hobby deemed manly, all conversations focused heavily on football, cars, and nice girls in the neighbourhood. Blaine just smiled through it, politely declining all offers of dates, ensuring that he was perfectly happ. It seemed that Mr Anderson couldn't grasp the fact that he actually gay, but at least his efforts were harmless enough.  
>'Do what?' Kurt asked absently, scribbling down notes in his book easily; McKinley was such a walk in the park compared to Dalton.<br>'Stay with Blaine,' he clarified, causing the other boy to glare viciously.  
>'What's wrong with him, exactly?' Came his sharp reply.<br>'Nothing!' Finn announced, throwing his arms up in defeat. 'That's the point! You never argue or _anything_. And I'm stuck here with Rachel and Quinn, two of the most high maintenance girls in Ohio.'  
>Kurt smiled. 'We just talk things through a lot. When I told him I was moving back to McKinley, I didn't open it up to discussion. I just left, and things got kind of bad between us. If we'd have talked through it then we would have saved those few days of not even knowing if we were <em>together<em>. It was awful.'  
>'It sounds it,' responded Finn, and for a second there was only the sound pen against paper as he crossed out his incorrect Calculus answer.<br>'You know I'm always here if you need to talk about anything, right?' Kurt asked, wanting him to know. 'And I may not like girls, but I _do _know what to say to them. I could be of some use.'  
>Finn beamed at him, dopey but endearing, and Kurt thought it was odd that at one point he'd had actual feelings for him; now he felt more like his brother.<br>'I'm glad our parents got married,' the tall boy confessed. 'Even if you did have ulterior motives at first.' He smiled deviously and Kurt swatted him over the head with his book.  
>'Don't worry, those motives are <em>long <em>gone.'

Blaine came over the following day earlier than normal, considering they'd missed out on seeing each other the night before. Kurt kissed him happily when he opened the door, heading to his room with his boyfriend in tow. They sat on his bed watching TV as Kurt filled him on the latest gossip Mercedes had told him regarding her and Sam – who had started dating ever since prom – in the hopes of hearing Sam's side of the story from Blaine; the two boys had became really close.  
>'Are you okay?' He interrupted himself halfway through the tale after noticing Blaine's complete lack of enthusiasm. The boy looked up at him with troubled eyes, looking guilty.<br>'Something happened last night,' he confessed.  
>'O...kay? Should I be worried?' Kurt asked levelly, trying to keep calm.<br>'No! No, it's just... don't be mad, okay?' He panicked. Kurt didn't respond, other than by taking a deep breath.  
>'Yesterday, my dad and I were bonding, right?' – Kurt nodded stiffly – 'Well, he told me to go put something nice on, 'cause we were going out for dinner. So I did, and...' he swallowed, looking even more guilty now.<br>_Just get on with it! _Kurt thought desperately, wondering what could have possibly happened.  
>'When we got to the restaurant, there was this girl there. My dad had set me up without even <em>telling<em> me, and then he just got back in the car and drove home, and I had to go to dinner with this girl because I couldn't tell her I didn't _like _her, she seemed really, you know, _keen_.'  
>Kurt tried to suppress a giggle, pressing his lips together in a tight line. Blaine misunderstood the action for something else, and his eyes widened.<br>'But nothing happened, Kurt, I swear! We just had dinner and I made small talk and then I left. I didn't walk her home or anything, I promise!'  
>'Did you kiss her?' Kurt asked, and it was becoming harder not to laugh, even though he knew he shouldn't tease his poor boyfriend like that. No matter how funny it was to see him sweat.<br>'No! Of course not! I-I'm gay, remember? I mean I know after the whole Rachel thing you might be a little dubious, but it really didn't mean anything, and I...' but the rest of his sentence was cut short by Kurt's lips on his, and Blaine could feel the smile pressing against his mouth.  
>He pulled away reluctantly. 'So you're not mad at me?' He asked hopefully.<br>'Why would I be mad at you, silly? If you had been set up on a date with a _boy_, it would have been a different story. But I am very certain that you are gay. It sucks that your dad did that to you, though.' He added, not wanting to be insensitive and just laugh it all off.  
>'I actually think it was good he did it,' Blaine countered. 'I mean, he totally shouldn't have forced me into it, but at least now he can't give me the whole 'you haven't even tried dating girls' thing. He didn't believe me when I said I'd went on a date with Rachel, so now he knows I've dated a girl. And it still didn't change me.' He said the last part with a proud grin on his face, and Kurt thought it was just awesome that his boyfriend was happy with who he was. He was happy with who Blaine was, too.<p>

'Uh, Blaine?' Kurt asked, nervously, looking around the empty Dalton hallway they were all supposedly meeting in. 'Where is everyone?'  
>Blaine had drove out here with Kurt under the pretences of 'hanging out with the Warblers' since they hadn't seen them in a while. Kurt agreed enthusiastically – 'Maybe Nick and Jeff finally started dating! Maybe David finally got out of <em>that <em>terrible relationship! Maybe Wes finally got over his obsession with that damn gavel!' (At which point Blaine had interrupted him with a scoff and an incredulous look. Wes would never get over his obsession with that damn gavel) – and they drove there the next day, straight after school.  
>But looking around, there wasn't a Warbler in sight.<br>'I dunno,' Blaine shrugged nonchalantly. 'Probably in Wes and David's room, since I told them to stay out of our way unless they wanted to die a very painful death.'  
>'But I thought we had plans?' He asked, completely lost.<br>'I have _other_ plans,' he grinned mischievously, reaching out and grabbing Kurt's hand. 'Come on. I know a shortcut.'  
>They ran down the very same corridor they had all those months ago, back when they barely knew each other, but felt something way more than two strangers should for each other. Blaine stopped them both short at that famous staircase. Said staircase now was scattered with rose petals, Kurt noted in surprise. Blaine put his hands on Kurt's shoulders and guided him onto the fourth step from the bottom and stood in front of him, so they were nearly eye to eye.<br>'Blaine, what are you doing?' Kurt asked, a smile on his face despite his confusion; he loved how romantic his boyfriend could be.  
>'There's a reason I brought you here tonight,' Blaine confessed, and his voice, usually as smooth and polished as those damned oak tables Dalton was so proud of, shook slightly as he spoke. 'I brought you here because I love you. And I'll never want anyone else, I know that. When I think back to how I felt about Jeremiah... it was nothing. Nothing compared to what I feel for you. You... we're perfect together, y'know? We fit. And I trust you. I know you love me, too. I know that nothing can stop us from being together. But just to be sure...' he trailed off and rummaged in the inside pocket of his jacket, bringing back out something that made Kurt's mind reel, because <em>ohmygod, was that a box<em>?  
>It was. It was a little, velvet black box.<br>Blaine stared directly at Kurt's beautiful eyes, whose colour he could never truly decipher – they were the most amazing mix of grey, green and blue – but he wasn't in any rush to figure them out, not really, because he knew he could spend the rest of his life looking at them, if Kurt let him.  
>Slowly, he opened the box to reveal a simple silver band. Kurt gasped.<br>'It-it's a promise ring,' he explained nervously. 'I have one, too,' and he pointed a shaky finger to the same jacket pocket he'd kept that one in. 'I wanted you to know that it's a two-way deal. I'm yours and you're mine. If you'll have me.'  
>Kurt didn't know which part of that he was happier with. Then, looking at Blaine's beautifully hesitant face, he decided. <em>Definitely the part about him being mine<em>, he thought.  
>'Of course I'll have you,' he whispered, and a grin stretched so far across his boyfriend's face it seemed very nearly painful. Blaine took Kurt's left hand in his own after getting hold of the ring in the other and slid it carefully onto the third finger.<br>'Perfect fit,' he breathed, and suddenly Kurt had flung his arms around Blaine's neck and he was kissing him with all of the strength he could gather. Blaine kissed him back hard, pulling him off the staircase and standing him upright, all the while never separating their lips, and he knew that he had never been happier than he was in that moment.  
>They finally parted, and Blaine slid on his own promise ring. They both spent a minute gazing at the pieces of jewellery appreciatively.<br>Kurt sat back down on one of the steps, looking around the staircase, absent-mindedly toying with the new ring on his finger.  
>'When I came to spy on the Warblers,' he began quietly, 'I did it to get away from McKinley for a while. I wanted to fit in somewhere. Wanted to be accepted. I never dreamed of finding a school like this. Or finding a boy like you.' He locked eyes with Blaine, and the latter noticed tears forming in his boyfriend's eyes.<br>'I sometimes wonder what my life would be like if you hadn't came to Dalton that day,' Blaine confessed in turn. 'I like to think that we would have caught each other's attentions during our Sectionals performances. That we would have stayed on the stage at the end of the results under the pretences of congratulating each other.'  
>'I could see that happening,' Kurt mused with a glint in his eye. 'I'm usually very forward when it comes to crushes.'<br>'Me too,' agreed Blaine. 'I refer you back to the GAP incident.'  
>'Like I could ever forget about <em>that<em>.'  
>'Makes two of us, unfortunately.'<p>

They decided in the end that, since they were here, they would go see the Warblers after all. Blaine had to thank Nick for the whole petals on the staircase thing anyway – since there was no way he could have done it, living so far away now – and the group as a whole for keeping good on their promise of leaving the couple alone.  
>When they knocked on the door to Wes and David's dorm room, it was opened by an even happier than usual looking Jeff.<br>'Blaine! Kurt! Hi!' He cried, flinging his arms around Kurt before the other boy could even respond to the greeting.  
>'Hey, Jeff,' Kurt laughed as he hugged the blonde boy back. 'How's things?'<br>Jeff pulled away and his eyes lit up with excitement. 'Awesome! You will _never _guess what happened!'  
>But he was interrupted at that point by Nick coming up behind him. 'Woah, Jeff, why don't you invite the two in before you talk their ears off?' He joked, slipping a hand in Jeff's, intertwining their fingers and – wait, <em>what<em>? – dropping a chaste kiss on his cheek.  
>Jeff just blushed and stepped aside, letting Kurt and Blaine finally enter the room. They were met by a chorus of 'hey's, 'how you been?'s and a loud 'did you give it to him?' from Thad, making the boys laugh.<br>'Yes, he did.' Kurt declared, proudly showing off his new ring. Blaine grinned, holding his hand up in turn, his new ring sitting there happily.  
>'Well, we're sorry to burst your bubble,' Wes started, and Blaine just smirked in his signature way; nothing could bring him down from the high he was on right now. 'But you've finally been replaced. By Nick and Jeff.'<br>The guys all whooped and cat-called, the couple in question grinning bashfully.  
>'Goodbye Klaine, hello Neff!' David shouted over the raucous, causing everyone to laugh.<br>'Don't worry, Kurt, I'll never forget about Klaine,' Blaine grinned at his boyfriend, kissing him on the nose.  
>'Me either,' Kurt laughed, catching Blaine's lips in a real kiss.<p>

_So there's that! Chapter 10 will be up soon. Reviews please!_


	10. Dinner

_Here's the next chapter! Please keep reviewing, it really helps!  
>I also got my first prompt today, which was awesome! So jememj , I'll see what I can do next chapter. If not, I may have to write Neff a fic of their own ;)<br>I think I'll probably write another two chapters and end it, but I'm definitely going to carry on writing fanfics.  
>If anyone wants to follow me on tumblr, my url is the same as my username, iklaintevenmad :)<em>

'Come on guys, we really need to finalise this!' Mr Schue declared, in regards to the set list for Nationals, which was in a mere two weeks.  
>'We left this <em>way <em>too late.' Rachel noted and _ohmyGod did she_ ever_ shut up? _Blaine liked the girl, honestly, but she was so _annoying_. He still had trouble believing that he'd kissed her. Twice.  
>'Luckily, I've thought of the perfect duet,' she continued, standing in front of the group, her show smile on. Kurt really hated that smile sometimes.<br>'I can't believe you kissed her,' he mumbled to Blaine. 'Twice.'  
>One side of Blaine's mouth pulled up in a half-smile. He cast Kurt a sideways look that screamed <em>me either.<em>  
>'What do you propose, Rachel?' Schue deadpanned; he was clearly desperate for help.<br>'I See The Light, from the Disney masterpiece Tangled.' She announced proudly, causing the teacher to sit up a little straighter in his chair.  
>'That's... actually really awesome. Definitely on the list. Now, who'll sing it?'<br>'Well, me and Finn, of course.' Rachel replied instantly, beaming at the boy in an only slightly scary way.  
>'Not necessarily!' Mercedes interjected. 'Why is it always you and Finn? I think that song would be <em>amazing <em>sung by Blaine.'  
>Blaine grinned; Mercedes was so awesome. She had long since given Blaine approval to date her beloved Kurt, and they had grown close ever since.<br>'Well done Mercedes, that's a great idea! You okay with that, Blaine?' The teacher asked, and Blaine just blinked in shock.  
>'What, really? That's—yeah! Totally!' Kurt beamed alongside him, proud of his boyfriend; they were going to be outstanding at Nationals.<br>'Okay!' The teacher concluded. 'So that means he'll sing it with-'  
>'Kurt.' Blaine interrupted swiftly. He was answered with silence. 'Kurt! That song is in his natural key and he's got an amazing voice, you can't deny it. And, though I may be biased, I definitely think his talents go unnoticed here. He didn't get a real part in a song until he came to Dalton and sang Candles with me.'<br>'Yeah, and who won Regionals?' Santana asked sharply.  
>'That wasn't because of our voices, it was because two out of the three judges were devout Christians,' Blaine snapped back, and <em>woah.<em> Blaine _never _snapped back.  
>'Blaine, it's okay,' Kurt murmured, stroking his boyfriend's arm reassuringly.<br>'No it isn't! You're so _good_, Kurt. It's not fair that you never get any solos.'  
>'You're right, Blaine. But I don't think we can risk it at Nationals; we've been working toward this for a long time.' And he gave the boy a look that was so condescending, like <em>oh, you wouldn't know because you haven't been here long enough.<em>  
>'So winning is more important to you than showcasing the better talents of the group?' He asked, his voice low. Dangerously low.<br>'Of course not!' The teacher argued.  
>'That's... kinda how it sounded, Mr Schue.' Tina interjected awkwardly, Mike nodding in agreement.<br>'Okay, fine,' Mr Schuester relented. 'Kurt, Blaine, why don't you sing it together to help us decide?'  
>So they did. Blaine, being the Disney fanatic he was, had forced Kurt to watch that film so many times they were <em>both <em>word perfect. Their voices blended together beautifully, as always. The end result was almost unanimous; Kurt and Blaine were singing at Nationals.

'I want you to meet my parents,' Blaine decided. Kurt froze, his pen dropping out of his stilled hand.  
>'Wh-what?' He spluttered.<br>Kurt loved Blaine. He really, truly did. Blaine had met his dad and Carole tons of times, and they both very much adored him – even if Burt was rather reluctant to admit it.  
>But Blaine's parents were the opposite of Kurt's. For the longest time they refused to even acknowledge Blaine's sexual orientation, and even now – when they had finally accepted it, for lack of a better word – they ignored the subject to the very best of their ability.<br>And while Kurt wanted to be there for Blaine in any way he could, he was still petrified of meeting his mom and dad. Because they were going to hate him, of course they were. He knew how strained the boy's relationship was with his parents already; it was part of the reason he'd boarded at Dalton, and now, when he had no other choice but to live with them again, the house was always filled with an awkward tension, or so he explained to Kurt whenever he asked if they could just do homework at the Hummel's house instead of his.  
>'I come round your house, and I see the way your parents act around me... and I can't help but wonder what my mom and dad would be like with you,' he explained quietly, staring down at his history notes. 'I'm sick of wondering. I really think that if they met you, saw how great you are... they'd stop going on at me. We've been dating for nearly three months, and they still refuse to believe we're together. They need to meet you.'<br>Kurt opened his mouth to object. He wanted to say that no, they wouldn't think I'm great at all, how would this even work? But one look at Blaine's sad eyes made him change his mind.  
>'Of course I'll meet them,' he agreed, and he must be a good actor because there was hardly any reluctance in his voice at all.<br>Blaine grinned and kissed him sweetly, helping smooth out the knot in his boyfriend's stomach.

'Don't be nervous,' Blaine soothed his boyfriend, holding his hand comfortingly. They were stood outside Blaine's house the next Saturday; he'd picked his boyfriend up from his house, knowing he'd need someone there to stop him from freaking out on the journey over.  
>'I'm not,' Kurt lied, but his voice was even higher than usual.<br>'Are you sure?' Blaine pressed, a small smile on his lips. 'Because your voice kinda sounds like how it did after I first kissed you back at Dalton.'  
>'Ssh!' His boyfriend panicked, his hand sweaty in Blaine's grip. 'Your parents could hear!'<br>'Through the door? Kurt, it's going to be _fine_. And I'm pretty sure they'll guess that we've kissed once I tell them we're dating,' and his lips pulled into a slanted smile again.  
>Kurt froze. 'I thought you said they just refused to believe we were together. Are you seriously telling me that you haven't physically <em>told them<em>?' He squeaked.  
>'Kurt, they're not stupid. I've dropped enough hints. Every single school story or anecdote I mention revolves almost entirely around <em>you<em>. They must know we're more than friends. They just won't let themselves believe it.'  
><em>I can't do this, I can't do <em>this, panicked Kurt. But Blaine's hand was warm in his and honestly, what were his parents going to do, kill him? Of course not. He was just being dramatic.  
>They both took a deep breath and entered the house.<p>

Blaine's parents were waiting on the other side of the door.  
>'Mom, Dad...' Blaine started, looking at them apprehensively. 'This is Kurt.'<br>'It's nice to meet you,' Blaine's mother stretched a hand out for Kurt to shake, which he did eagerly.  
>Blaine's dad didn't say anything; he simply nodded his head.<br>They moved to the dining room, Blaine and Kurt one side, Mr and Mrs Anderson on the other.  
>They struck up different conversations whilst eating. Blaine's father was quiet, but other than that things seemed to be going well.<br>'So Blaine tells me you're on the Glee club, too?' Prompted Blaine's mom. Maybe she wasn't as bad as Kurt thought she'd be.  
>'Yes!' He confirmed, happy to have something to talk about. 'I can't wait for Nationals.'<br>'Have you ever been to New York before?' She asked, seeming interested.  
>'Unfortunately not. But the trip looks great; Mr Schuester put together an amazing itinerary, and of course performing will be incredible. Blaine and I have a duet and it sounds really good.'<br>'What song are you singing?' She asked.  
>'I See The Light, from Tangled,' he answered proudly. He glanced at Blaine; he was smiling, but it seemed tight and forced.<br>'Boys shouldn't sing duets together,' Mr Anderson declared firmly, dropping his fork onto his plate.  
>Blaine took a deep breath through his nose.<br>'And why not?' He asked steadily.  
>'You know why, Blaine,' he retorted.<br>'George, please.' Mrs Anderson warned her husband.  
>'I'm gay, Dad.' Blaine told him quietly. 'You know that.'<br>'And so you think it's okay for you to just rub it in our faces?' He dad asked him angrily. Kurt was really starting to get scared now – he didn't think talking about the duet was that big of a deal.  
>'Why did you even bring him here?' Mr Anderson continued.<br>'Because his parents are nothing but welcoming and I was hoping that _my _family could be the same for him! Because he's my boyfriend and I love him!'  
>Everything was silent for a second, and then-<br>'Love him? You don't know what love is,' his father told him, a nasty sneer across his face.  
>'I'd like to think I know a lot more about love than you do,' his son countered. 'Because I accept people for who they are. And you can't even do that for your own son.'<br>'Show them to the door,' the man ordered his wife. Kurt felt sick. He grasped Blaine's hand under the table. His boyfriend was shaking.  
>'Blaine, it's okay. You can stay at my house.' He whispered, his throat dry. Blaine just nodded his thanks, but didn't move.<br>'I _said_, show them to the door!' His voice rose in anger, but Mrs Anderson didn't flinch.  
>'No.' She replied sternly, looking murderous herself. 'He is my <em>son<em>, and I refuse to stand by and watch you hurt him – or his boyfriend, who seems incredibly nice – any longer. Blaine, darling,' she addressed him, looking at the boy sadly, 'I'm sorry I didn't stand up for you sooner. But I am now.' She looked back at her husband with a loathing expression plastered across her face. 'Get out.'  
>And so he did, after a long, heated argument. He would be back later, of course, to finalise the divorce. But as far as Blaine was concerned, that was the last time he would see his father, and he was glad.<p>

The two boys could be found upstairs ten minutes later, stretched out side by side on Blaine's bed, staring quietly at the ceiling. Neither knew what to say.  
>'I'm sorry,' Kurt whispered, desperate to break the silence somehow.<br>Blaine shifted onto his side and stared at Kurt's face. 'Sorry for what?' He asked, confused.  
>Kurt's eyes didn't leave the ceiling; he felt ashamed and incredibly guilty, and couldn't face those eyes. 'For starting that argument,' he confessed. 'I shouldn't have mentioned that stupid duet.'<br>'Hey,' Blaine chided him, nudging closer to his boyfriend and urging him to rest on his side too, so that they were both facing each other, but Kurt still couldn't look at the beautiful boy laying directly parallel to him. 'First off, our duet is _not _stupid. We sound amazing. But secondly, and far more importantly, that was _not _your fault. You tried to strike up a conversation and my father took it way too far. He didn't approve of us from the second we stepped into the house.'  
>Tears glistened in the corners of Kurt's eyes as he studied the bed sheets furiously. 'I just... I don't understand -'<br>'Why he isn't accepting like your father is?' Blaine guessed, and Kurt nodded. 'Some people just _aren't_. He finds himself far too important to stray from the rules society has deemed appropriate. Accepting a gay son and his boyfriend is _not _one of those rules.'  
>'I should never have come here tonight,' Kurt declared in a feeble whisper. 'I ruined everything; your mom and dad are getting a <em>divorce<em>.' His voice broke on the last word and it took a few deep breaths to prevent himself from crying.  
>'Kurt, look at me.' Blaine ordered softly. He waited until Kurt obeyed, and when their eyes finally locked, he continued speaking. 'I love you. I love you far more than I've ever loved my father. And that divorce was long coming. It wasn't even you that pushed them off the edge, so don't even think that for a second. <em>I <em>was the one who invited you over. I was the one who told them that we were dating. Should I blame myself?'  
>Kurt shook his head immediately. 'No, of course not!' He hastily assured his boyfriend.<br>'Exactly. So you are in no way at fault. Please believe me.' His eyes were hard and definite; he wasn't budging on this.  
>'I do,' Kurt whispered, and Blaine kissed him, soft and sweet.<br>And they knew, in that moment, that nothing could break them. They could face the bullies and the hate, so long as they had each other.  
>And they'd always have each other.<p> 


	11. New York

_So this was supposed to be the Nationals chapter, but around 1200 words in I realised it would be a ridiculously huge chapter if I carried on all the way through the competition. So this is the run-up to Nationals.  
>Thanks if you've stuck with the story so far and please remember to review!<em>

'This is so exciting!' Kurt declared, bouncing up and down in his seat. They were on the aeroplane, ready to take off for Nationals in New York. New York! Kurt could hardly contain himself.  
>'Hah, yeah, exciting...' Blaine tried to agree weakly, though it wasn't convincing.<br>Kurt gave him a sideways glance, noticing how pale he looked.  
>'You okay?'<br>'Just don't particularly like flying. No big deal.' But the look on his face implied that it _was _a big deal, and he could hardly hide his feelings from Kurt, anyway.  
>'I thought you'd flown plenty?' Kurt wondered. His excitement overshadowed any worries he may have had over flying.<br>'Doesn't mean I'm used to it,' his boyfriend replied, looking even sicker.  
>The flight attendants came out at that point, running through the safety checks.<br>'Oh, God...' Blaine murmured as he felt the plane start the run up.  
>Kurt grabbed Blaine's hand in a firm, reassuring grip. With his free hand he rooted around in his pocket, fishing out a candy.<br>'Here, have this. It'll stop your ears from popping.'  
>Blaine nodded and accepted it gratefully. When they finally took off, Blaine gripped Kurt's hand so hard it was almost painful. But it was nice; Kurt felt like Blaine was constantly looking after him, and it was good to switch roles for once.<br>The on-flight movies sucked, so the boys just shared some headphones and took turns choosing songs on Blaine's iPod. They talked for a while, but in the end Kurt just settled his head on Blaine's shoulder and fell asleep. Blaine rested his head on Kurt's and slept, too.  
>The landing was awful, and Kurt fully expected Blaine to throw up all over his Marc Jacobs boots. He wouldn't have minded, though – and that was a testament to how much he really did love the boy. Thankfully, Blaine survived the flight, and they both joined the rest of New Directions as they exited the plane.<p>

'Wow.' Kurt literally could not find any other word in the English dictionary to express how he was feeling, looking at the city surrounding him. It was amazing. They had all piled into cabs and were now back together outside of the hotel, which was right in the city centre.  
>Tall buildings loomed over head, their tops disappearing into the bright sky above. There were people and cars everywhere and the sound of car horns almost drowned out Blaine's next words.<br>'I know. I love it here.' He had been once or twice with his parents, but had never done much sight-seeing; they always dragged him off to boring dinner parties. He hoped they would have time to look around the city, but if not then he would just have to come back another time.  
>With Kurt, of course.<br>'Okay, guys. We'll go check in, then go find somewhere to eat.' Mr Schuester announced, shepherding everyone inside.  
>It was getting quite late at that point, and all Kurt wanted to do was crash into the nearest bed, but he knew that he should probably eat something, considering how he'd avoided the plane food altogether – that stuff was <em>not <em>going to pass his lips.

They spread themselves out over a few booths at some cheap diner and Kurt delicately picked his way through a salad, though he knew it wasn't organic. But he was in _New York_, so he decided he could let loose a little.  
>Blaine laughed, his shoulder bumping Kurt's gently from where he was sat next to him.<br>'What?' Kurt asked his boyfriend, staring at the burger on his plate with disgust. You could practically _see_ the grease.  
>'You're on holiday, yet you still get a salad?' A cocky grin spread across his face. Kurt simultaneously wanted to slap him and kiss him senseless.<br>'Some of us actually care about what we put in our bodies,' he replied, looking pointedly at Blaine's meal, feeling slightly nauseous.  
>'Not me!' Blaine declared as he stuffed four fries into his mouth at once.<br>'That I see.' Kurt replied, but the effect was somewhat lost as he yawned, exhausted. Blaine grinned.  
>'You're adorable when you're tired. I wish we were sharing a room,' he pouted.<br>'I wish we were, too, but Mr Schue said he didn't think it would be acceptable.'  
>'What does he think we're going to <em>do<em>?'  
>Kurt blushed furiously, averting eye contact and shrugging. Because thinking of the many things they could do in a hotel room in New York was <em>so <em>not acceptable right now.  
>'Uh... Kurt?' Blaine asked, smirking a little.<br>'Shut up and eat your fries,' grumbled Kurt, suddenly very engrossed in his salad.  
>Blaine just laughed.<p>

'Okay listen up!' Mr Schuester addressed the group as they stood in the hotel lobby after their meal. 'Get into groups and I'll give you all your key cards. I suggest going straight to bed; we've got a big day ahead of us!' The last part was met by excited cheers as the members sorted themselves into the pre-determined groups. Kurt was sharing with Mercedes, Rachel and Tina. He loved the girls – and was positive that they'd have a good time – but he couldn't help but wish he was in with Blaine, who was rooming with Sam, Mike and Finn. Artie and Puck had their own room, considering Artie was in his wheelchair.  
>They got their bags back from where the hotel had stored them and trudged them to the rooms.<br>'Kurt, how much did you _pack_?' Tina asked, astounded.  
>'I'm in <em>New York<em>, Tina. You really think I'm going to miss this big of a fashion opportunity?' He asked, and was met with a laugh from the girl.

They settled into their room, frantic shouts of 'I call the shower!' and 'I want the bed closest to the window!' bouncing off the tacky walls. The hotel room wasn't particularly nice, but at least they'd managed to raise enough money to actually book one.  
>They fell into bed twenty minutes later, chatting excitedly about Nationals. Kurt felt his eyelids sliding closed. It was at that moment that his phone buzzed violently, causing his eyes to fly open.<br>Blaine's name flashed on the screen, and he accepted the call in a heartbeat, like he always did.  
>'Miss me already?' He joked into the phone.<br>'Yes, actually,' came the happy reply. 'And the other guys wanted to see their girlfriends too, so we thought we'd come over for a while?'  
>'You know that's not allowed, right?'<p>

'Yes.'  
>'And we'll get in trouble if Mr Schue finds out?'<br>'Mhmm.'  
>Kurt sighed. 'See you in five.'<br>He hung up after hearing Blaine chuckling.  
>'You'll be happy to know that your boyfriends are on their way,' he announced to the girls happily.<br>'Wait, what?' Rachel screeched. 'Finn can't see me in my pyjamas!' She had recently started dating Kurt's step-brother again, and was all the more careful for it; she apparently would let nothing split them up this time.  
>'Well tough, 'cause I'd say there about ten seconds away now.' Kurt had slept in the same bed as Blaine on numerous occasions, and therefore didn't care about his boyfriend seeing him in his PJs. <em>Blaine says I look adorable in them<em>, he noted internally with a bashful grin.  
>There was a soft knock on the door and Kurt rushed to open it. The four boys stepped inside quickly. That was the moment that the group became painfully aware of the fact that the hotel room was <em>not <em>big enough for eight people.  
>'Okay, this isn'tgoing to work,' Kurt mused, but the boys simply laughed and joined their girlfriends. Blaine slipped his hand in Kurt's and led him over to the bed.<br>'I'm _way _too excited to sleep!' He bounced up and down, looking remarkably like a puppy.  
>'Well I'm not,' came the slightly crabby reply.<p>

'Aw, come on Kurt! We're in _New York_! You can sleep back in Lima!' Blaine argued, and for some reason Kurt couldn't bear the thought of dampening his excitement. Like the good boyfriend he was, he relented, settling himself in Blaine's lap and wrapping his arms around his neck. Blaine beamed and kissed Kurt sweetly.  
>'Are you nervous for your duet tomorrow?' Mercedes asked the couple from where she was sat on her bed, holding Sam's hand.<br>'No way,' Kurt replied airily. 'Our voices are _amazing _together, and Blaine was lead Warbler for a reason!'  
>Blaine flushed and smiled. Kurt loved it when he got all modest and shy; it was so adorable and out of character.<br>'Do you think the judges will like it, though?' His boyfriend piped up. 'I mean, I'm _sure _that the fact we were both boys was what cost us Regionals. The song was great.'  
>'That's because two of the judges at Regionals were devout Christians. Of course they didn't like it. But we didn't know that, and I'm sure we won't have that problem here,' Kurt countered, though there was an unmistakable tone of uncertainty in his voice.<p>

'Worrying about it now isn't going to help anyone, so why don't we talk about something else?' Mike reasoned, and they all agreed quickly.

They talked for another hour, but their day had been _really _long and the flight had kind of sucked, so the boys decided to head back to their room.  
>Blaine shuffled from under Kurt, but the latter kept his arms around him, tight and persistent.<br>'Kurt, I have to go to my room now,' Blaine explained.  
>'No, you don't,' Kurt argued, slurring through his exhaustion. 'You're a boy, I'm a boy. The other guys can't stay but you can.'<br>'But Mr Schue-'  
>'Doesn't have to know,' Kurt interrupted. 'Leave before he comes to get us.'<br>'It's fine by us,' Tina clarified happily before kissing Mike goodbye and showing the guys out.  
>'Well in that case...' Blaine kicked off his shoes and quickly dived under the covers, snuggling in and sighing contentedly. Kurt laughed and joined him, cuddling into his side and throwing an arm over his waist.<br>Mercedes set an alarm and Rachel flicked off the lights.  
>'Goodnight everyone. See you at Nationals!' Blaine declared, practically writhing in excitement.<br>'You'll see us before that, Blaine. We're sharing a room.'  
>'Don't ruin my fun, Kurt!'<br>'Goodnight, Blaine.'  
>Blaine just laughed and kissed Kurt, hard and passionate, the darkness enveloping them.<p> 


	12. Nationals

_I'm really sorry for the wait! I needed another three-hundred words or so, which I guess isn't much, but I was having trouble writing it. This isn't the end – there's gunna be a few more chapters, I'm not sure how many yet.  
>Thank you so much for reading this so far. I'd love for you to review and tell me what you think, or what you'd like to see before it ends and I'll try and incorporate it as best as I can! I aim to please!<em>

'Blaine, get up.'  
>'I don't want to...'<br>'Blaine Anderson, if you do not get up and back to your room right now Mr Schue will kill us and there will be no Nationals!' Kurt's stern voice rang out, hard and clear amidst the morning quiet.  
>'Okay, okay!' He groaned and sat up, rubbing his eyes with the backs of his hands. Kissing Kurt quickly, he slipped out of the room regretfully. Kurt already missed his warmth.<p>

Mercedes' alarm bleeped ten minutes later. Kurt took this as a signal to jump on her bed, shouting, 'Nationals! Nationals! Get up, it's Nationals!' at the top of his voice.  
>When the only response he received was a tired groan as the girl buried her head under the pillow, he resorted to violence. Snatching up said pillow, he whacked her in the face with as much force as he could gather.<br>'Ow!' She moaned, blinking in shock and covering her face with her hands in case he attacked again. 'No fair!'  
>'We are in New York' – he hit her again will a dull <em>thump <em>– 'and today is the day we sing at Nationals' – _thump_ – 'and you're still in bed!' Kurt hit her again one last time before pulling on her arms and dragging her into a sitting position.  
>'Jeez Kurt, you're scary on a morning!' Tina mumbled, sitting up in her bed too.<br>Rachel was somehow still asleep, but when Tina shouted her name the girl sat bolt upright.  
>'Nationals!' She cried out.<br>Kurt laughed. 'That's the spirit!'

They all met downstairs in the lobby an hour later and Mr Schue started talking immediately.  
>'Hey guys! Did you all sleep well?' Everyone nodded blearily, still tired due to the fact it was nine in the morning. 'I just wanted to say thanks for not causing any drama. Can you imagine if I'd had to apologise to the manager because of noise if any of you snuck out of your rooms? Crazy!' He laughed along with everyone else apart from the eight guilty pupils, who tried to chuckle innocently. Blaine caught Kurt's eye and grinned.<br>As they walked out, Kurt felt two hands grab his waist and spin him round, his face mere inches from his boyfriend's. His breath caught; even after months of dating, Blaine still astounded him. Kurt couldn't believe that someone as amazing as that was _his_.  
>'You look amazing,' Blaine whispered before kissing Kurt passionately. He didn't even care who saw, and Santana could wolf-whistle all she wanted.<br>'Funny,' Kurt breathed weakly after pulling away, 'I was just thinking the same thing about you.'

They got to the place where Nationals was being held via numerous cabs again. The venue itself was _huge_ – double the size of Regionals easy. The group made their way to the dressing rooms and Kurt tried to keep the butterflies in his stomach at bay, which was a hard task considering he was actually going to perform a duet in front of, like, _thousands _of people. Truthfully he didn't know how many people the hall seated but it felt like the entire world was going to be watching.  
>All too soon, Mr Schuester was rounding them up and telling them that they had five minutes before they had to go out and watch the other performances and then perform themselves.<br>'Oh my _God_...' Kurt mumbled, frantic with worry.  
>Blaine hadn't taken his eyes off Kurt for a good ten minutes, so he was the first to spot his panic. 'Hey,' he muttered, just loud enough for Kurt to hear, waiting for his boyfriend to look him in the eyes before continuing. 'It's going to be okay,' he reassured him after being met with that piercing blue gaze he'd become so addicted to. 'Your voice is breathtaking,'<br>'You're just saying that because you're my boyfriend and you have to,' Kurt commented, but a ghost of his confident smile graced his features, informing Blaine that his pep talk was working.  
>'Kurt, of course I'm not!' He countered, faking a hurt expression. 'I did it because...' he trailed off and stepped even closer to Kurt, grasping both of his hands and leaning in so their faces were tantalisingly close. 'Because otherwise you'd never get up on stage and I'm <em>so <em>not prepared for a solo.' He whispered, winking at Kurt and dropping a kiss on his cheek before jumping out of the way of the slap Kurt aimed at him.  
>'Missed!' He declared, laughing, before kissing Kurt deeply.<br>He pulled back a millimetre, whispering, 'you'll be great,' before holding his hand out for Kurt to grab and exiting the room with the rest of New Directions.

The other acts were of course amazing – which only scared New Directions even _more_ – but standing in the middle of the stage with Blaine was, surprisingly, not at scary as Kurt thought it would be. Sure, the pressure was still ridiculously tremendous, because it was _Nationals_, for crying out loud, but the lights were so bright that only the first row of seats were even visible, and Kurt just looked up at where he imagined the back of the huge room to be, trying not to squint, and sang with everything he had.

_All those days watching from the windows__  
><em>_All those years outside looking in__  
><em>_All that time never even knowing__  
><em>_Just how blind I've been_

Suddenly the remainder of the crowd Kurt could actually see disappeared. He was completely wrapped up in the song.

___Now I'm here blinking in the starlight__  
><em>_Now I'm here suddenly I see__  
><em>_Standing here it's all so clear__  
><em>_I'm where I'm meant to be___

_And at last I see the light__  
><em>_And it's like the fog has lifted__  
><em>_And at last I see the light__  
><em>_And it's like the sky is new__  
><em>_And it's warm and real and bright__  
><em>_And the world has somehow shifted__  
><em>_All at once everything looks different__  
><em>_Now that I see you_

He vaguely remembered hitting the high notes, and then Blaine started to sing his part. Kurt could finally breathe as he let his boyfriend take over, smiling at how beautiful the sound was._  
><em>

_All those days chasing down a daydream__  
><em>_All those years living in a blur__  
><em>_All that time never truly seeing__  
><em>_Things the way they were_  
><em>Now she's here shining in the starlight<em>_  
><em>_Now she's here suddenly I know__  
><em>_If she's here it's crystal clear__  
><em>_I'm where I'm meant to go_

Their voices blended together beautifully toward the end, finishing the song with a breathtaking duet.

___And at last I see the light__  
><em>_And it's like the sky is new__  
><em>_And it's warm and real and bright__  
><em>_And the world has somehow shifted__  
><em>_All at once everything looks different__  
><em>_Now that I see you  
>Now that I see you.<em>

The song ended to rapturous applause from the audience and Kurt felt instantly relieved. Two boys singing a duet could have gone down a lot worse, but he didn't get his hopes up; they'd been applauded at Regionals too, and still lost. He didn't want to be disappointed. He didn't want to let anyone down again.  
>The rest of New Directions joined the stage for their group song, and all thought was pushed from Kurt's mind as he lost himself again in the performance.<p>

New Directions gathered in the green room after watching the rest of the choirs perform, still on their post-performance high.  
>'Great job, guys!' Mr Schue praised them, his grin so wide Kurt was afraid his face might split. He would have teased him about it if the exact same expression wasn't reflected on his face.<br>Rachel stood up and looked at the group, grinning in that way she did when she was especially happy over something. It was quite intimidating. 'May I just say that, although a duet between Finn and I would have gone down a storm, Kurt and Blaine's song really was great.'  
>It was probably as close to a compliment they'd get, and the rest of New Directions agreed wholeheartedly.<br>'You don't think it was a little... risky?' Kurt worried, but Blaine just slipped his hand into the other boy's and gave it a reassuring squeeze.  
>'Maybe,' he shrugged, deciding to be honest. 'But I'd rather sing a song with the boy I love than win a stupid trophy.' He said the last part quietly, not wanting people to get the wrong idea and think that he didn't care about glee club; he did care, but he cared about Kurt a hell of a lot more.<br>Kurt blushed a little and murmured the sentiment back. Sometimes he felt too lucky to have a boyfriend like Blaine. He knew he was fabulous, but not many other people did. To find someone so similar to him and who actually _loved _him was kind of surreal.

Waiting for the results was torture. Rachel started to get restless, effectively taking back the compliment she had paid Kurt and Blaine earlier, saying, 'Finn and I should have sung the duet. We _always _sing the duets. Why didn't we just sing the duet? Damn equality! Having two gay dads means I'm not in the least homophobic, but still... _we _should have had that duet!' to which Kurt simply responded with a sound and harsh, 'I swear to God, Rachel, _shut up_!'  
>Blaine just laughed, thankful <em>he <em>wasn't the one on Kurt's bad side. No matter how much he loved him, there was no denying that the boy was pretty scary when he wanted to be.

They were _finally _called back on stage, and Kurt had Blaine's hand in a vice grip. Blaine ran his thumb over his boyfriend's hand, trying to soothe him a little, but the effect may have been lessened somewhat by the fact that Blaine's hand was shaking like a leaf.  
>One by one, groups were asked to leave the stage after being told that they had not placed. It came down to four groups – three that New Directions hadn't heard much about, but were all incredible, and New Directions themselves.<br>So close. They were _so close_.  
>And then, there were only two groups left on the stage, and the announcer was opening the envelope containing the winner's name, and Kurt was squeezing Blaine's hand so hard that his fingers were <em>really <em>starting to ache.  
>'And the winner of the National show choir competitions two-thousand and eleven, due to huge popularity from the judges, who appreciated the group's different take on their duet, is... New Directions!' The man shouted, and then Blaine couldn't even <em>think <em>straight because everyone was screaming and jumping up and down, and Kurt was yelling, 'we did it! We did it!' at the top of his lungs, and he looked so happy and beautiful that Blaine grabbed him and pulled him into an embrace, kissing him – albeit somewhat chastely – right there on the stage.  
>Kurt pulled away first, flushed but grinning, and Blaine laughed, ecstatic.<br>Because he truly _didn't _care if they won, because he loved Kurt and that was all that mattered.  
>But a huge trophy was really cool, too.<p>

_Don't forget to review!_


	13. Jackets

_Hey guys… remember me?_

_I am so so so so sorry that it's taken me this long to update! I just didn't know what to write for ages, and then I just focused more on writing other fics. I have another bit to come and I hope that'll be up soon but you probably shouldn't take my word anymore.  
>So here's the second to last instalment. Sorry again!<em>

It turns out that people really don't care about Glee club unless there are big trophies involved. Coming third at Sectionals resulted in a slushy to the face, but placing first at Nationals granted you a different experience entirely.  
>A guy from the football team who had secretly always thought singing was fun told the Glee guys that he was definitely going to audition next year. He only took part in the sport to secure himself a scholarship, and could put up with a bit of teasing.<br>'You guys manage to do both and survive,' he said as they got changed after practice. 'Besides, things are changing, dudes. Glee club could actually be cool.'  
>Finn, Sam, Artie, Puck and Blaine nodded encouragingly, keeping their cool, until the boy exited the locker room. Only after this did they high-five and cheer to their hearts' content.<br>Two girls who had been forced to leave the Cheerios after some 'sloppy pyramid work' asked Quinn, Santana and Brittany if they should join next year. They replied with definite yeses but warned them to be wary of Rachel. They weren't cut out for crack house visits, active or not.

'I actually can't remember the last time I was slushied,' Blaine mused as he shut his locker door, turning to Kurt and smiling.  
>'I can. Three weeks ago, got us both at once. You had to throw away your favourite shirt and my shoes were almost beyond repair.' Kurt replied, flicking through a textbook.<br>'Well, okay. But still, three weeks! Three icy-free weeks! Why aren't you as happy as I am?' He bounced up and down a little to show off said happiness. Kurt really did baffle him at times.  
>The boy sighed and finally looked up from the page he had previously been studying. 'Because sometimes we go through periods where the bullying lessons or even stops. But it doesn't mean that it's gone forever.'<br>'No, I really think that winning Nationals helped us!' His boyfriend, optimistic as ever, countered. 'One of the guys on the football team even said that he wanted to join! Joining the team was one of the best decisions I've ever made,' he grinned, jokingly putting on a smug smile.  
>Kurt rolled his eyes. 'My boyfriend, the jock. Does this mean that I have to go back on the Cheerios?'<br>'Who knows? We could be the 'it' couple,' Blaine winked. Kurt giggled, and soon they were both full-out laughing hysterically for no reason at all, other than the fact that they were _happy_.  
>The slushy that was sent flying in their direction wiped the smiles off their faces. Kurt gasped as the frozen drink hit him and Blaine full on.<br>Whoever had thrown them was gone by the time Kurt had scooped the ice out of his eyes and looked round. He turned back to Blaine, about to mutter a sarcastic 'what were you saying?' when he saw the expression on his face. Underneath the food dye, Blaine's lip was quivering and he was taking deep breaths – a sure sign he was holding back tears.  
>Kurt carefully brought his hands up to his boyfriend's face, wiping away the slush and using his sleeve to attempt to pat him dry. 'Three weeks,' he whispered, staring into Blaine's eyes. 'New record.'<br>Blaine smiled a little and Kurt kissed him quickly, before pulling him into the nearest bathroom to get cleaned up.

'I can't believe it,' Blaine grumbled, huffing and crossing his arms as Kurt tried to wash the slushy out of his hair.  
>'Blaine, stay still!' Kurt laughed. 'I need to get all of this out.'<br>'I am _not _playing in the football game next week,' he vented. 'I told them that I'd leave if they didn't cut the crap! And they didn't listen!'  
>'No one's forcing you to play,' Kurt agreed. 'But think about the glee guys; you'd be letting them down, too. And Coach Bieste, I know you get along with her.'<br>'I'm just sick of it,' Blaine pouted.  
>Kurt just kissed his slightly sticky forehead and said, 'why don't you think about it for a while before you make any decisions?'<br>Blaine hummed.

'So I've been thinking a lot,' Blaine started as he sat with Kurt on the latter's bed, going through some homework. 'And I've come to a decision, but I don't know if anyone else is gunna like it.'  
>'You're not breaking up with me, are you?' Kurt smirked, joking.<br>Well. Mostly joking.  
>Blaine rolled his eyes. 'Ha. Funny, but no. I was <em>actually <em>talking about football.'  
>'Ah,' understanding flooded Kurt's features, his smile becoming more relaxed and natural. 'And?'<br>'What if I were to… _threaten_ to quit?' Blaine asked. It was important that Kurt agreed with his decision; usually Kurt's ideas were the best and backfired a lot less frequently than Blaine's, so the shorter boy usually followed in his boyfriend's footsteps.  
>'But you already <em>have <em>threatened to quit,' Kurt frowned. 'It worked for a while, but the slushy facials we got yesterday prove that it wasn't _that _successful.'  
>'That's because there wasn't really anything <em>behind <em>those threats,' Blaine explained. 'I still went to practice, played in the games… but if I just stop turning up to practice, they'll _know _that I'm not bluffing.'  
>'I don't get it,' Kurt confessed. 'You're not <em>threatening <em>to quit if you don't show up to practice – you're actually quitting.'  
>Blaine shook his head. 'I talked to Coach Bieste, said I was sick of the other guys bullying the Glee club – but especially us two. I thought that things were going alright after Nationals, but, of course, us winning Nationals doesn't mean they'll stop being homophobic. I told the coach that I wanted to make them think I was going to leave if they didn't stop. I mean, I won't really – I <em>like <em>playing, and I wouldn't let down the rest of the team, but if they think that they can get away with all this, they're wrong. So, when I don't turn up to practice, they'll undoubtedly track me down and ask me what's going on, and I'll tell them that I won't go back to football unless they start being nice to the Glee club. And it has to carry on into next year, too – they might not like me but I _am _a good Kicker. Coach Bieste agreed with me, and said that she'll make sure I don't get replaced on the team.'  
>'And if they don't listen?' Kurt couldn't help but feel dubious.<br>'Then… I play the last game but don't go back next year? I don't know yet. But it's worth a try, right?'  
>Kurt smiled. 'Yeah, it is. I'm really proud of you for doing this.'<br>Blaine shrugged. 'There's only so many slushies one guy can take before something has to be _done_,' he mimicked cracking his knuckles threateningly.  
>Kurt laughed. 'You're a fool,' he said before kissing him.<p>

Two days later, Kurt and Blaine were standing by their lockers.  
>'So have they confronted you yet?' Kurt asked as he fixed his hair in his mirror, trying to keep his hands busy so he wouldn't worry too much.<br>'Not yet,' Blaine replied. 'But I think they're about to now.'  
>Kurt looked up as Azimio and two of the other jerks from the team stormed up to them.<br>'Anderson, where the hell have you been? You've missed two practices!'  
>'I know,' Blaine shrugged. 'I quit.'<br>'_What_?' Azimio yelled, his face twisting with anger.  
>'I was sick of you treating me and Kurt like crap. You've laid off the Glee club – albeit slightly – since we won Nationals. But you're still as homophobic as ever. I'm not coming back until you change.'<br>Azimio was undoubtedly about to reply with some insulting slur, but one of the other guys spoke before he had the chance.  
>'Well what's it gunna take to get you back on the team?' The other guys scowled at him. 'What? He's a decent kicker and we need him.' He snapped.<br>'Basically, if you want me to come back to the team,' Blaine started calmly, 'you need to back off me, Kurt and the rest of New Directions. Permanently.'  
>'You'll come back,' Azimio sneered. 'Wouldn't let down your Glee friends.'<br>'I wouldn't count on it,' Kurt muttered under his breath.  
>For a second time it seemed that Azimio was about to speak up but Blaine just glared at him and put an arm around his boyfriend's waist.<br>'Fine!' The bully yelled. 'We'll leave you alone.' The others scoffed and rolled their eyes.  
>'I mean it, Azimio,' Blaine stated, his voice hard and uncharacteristically firm. 'No slushies, no slamming into lockers, no name-calling or insults… <em>the bullying stops<em>. And it carries through to graduation next year. I want to be Kicker again but not if you go back to your old ways, and Coach Bieste is entirely on my side.'  
>'We'll talk to the others, but… fine,' Azimio grunted. They all shuffled off.<br>Kurt squealed and hugged a rather smug looking Blaine tight, then kissed him hard.  
>'What the hell, right?' He said by way of explanation as they broke apart.<p>

The football game was on the last day of term, and the Friday before Blaine and Kurt were – yet again – standing by their lockers. There had been no more instances of bullying, and Blaine was definitely ready for the game.  
>He was, of course, extremely happy, but for some reason his boyfriend had been annoyed all morning.<br>'Hey, Wes said that some of the guys from Dalton are coming down to watch the game next week,' Blaine announced as he rifled through his textbooks.  
>'Hmm,' Kurt replied shortly.<br>'So I guess that means that we'll see Wes, David, Nick, Jeff and maybe –' he broke off when he saw Kurt was barely paying attention, yet looked even more irritated. 'Are you okay?'  
>'Did you see what Rachel was wearing today?' The boy fired at Blaine, folding his arms.<br>So this was about one of Rachel's horrible outfits? 'Uh, does it include plaid?' He attempted.  
>'A letterman jacket, Blaine!' Kurt snapped. 'Finn's letterman jacket. They're on and off more times than her stupid knee-high socks, but <em>she <em>gets to wear _her_ boyfriend's jacket.'  
>The poor boy couldn't help the confused expression that flickered onto his face. 'And you're upset about this?'<br>'_Yes_.'  
>'… But <em>why<em>? It's better than the other stuff she wears.'  
>Kurt slammed his locker shut. 'It's not about Rachel, Blaine.'<br>'It's not?' He was really floundering now.  
>He watched in apprehension as his boyfriend took a deep breath. 'When you figure out why I'm upset, come find me. Okay?'<br>'I, uh… might not be seeing you for a little while, then?' Kurt glared at him and Blaine almost flinched. 'You know I'm oblivious to all of this… stuff.'  
>'You mean <em>feelings<em>?' Kurt asked, eyebrow raised.  
>'…Yeah.'<br>Kurt sighed. 'I'll see you later.' He kissed Blaine's cheek before he left, though, so he couldn't have been _that _mad. Not like that one time Blaine spilt juice over his brand new Marc Jacobs scarf and Kurt couldn't even _look _at him all day. He winced at the memory.  
>Luckily Rachel herself walked by at that minute, so Blaine took the opportunity to seek help.<br>'Hey, Rachel,' he waved her over.  
>'Oh, hi Blaine!' She was, indeed, in Finn's jacket. It was huge on her in a cute way, and she snuggled into it proudly.<br>'Why are you wearing Finn's jacket?'  
>'Well, wearing this jacket lets everybody know that I'm with Finn and that he's proud to show me off. It was also a gift, so it shows that he cares about me and wants to make me happy. Plus I know for a fact that I look good in it, so I decided to wear it,' she answered matter-of-factly. 'Why do you ask?'<br>Blaine sighed. 'Because Kurt's annoyed at me and I think it has something to do with the fact that you're wearing the jacket. Even though he said it _wasn't_ about you.' He rubbed his face with his hands tiredly. 'I don't know, I'm just really confused.' It annoyed him how puzzled he was – normally he wasn't the _most_ on-form when it came to issues in their relationship, but he liked to think he wasn't _completely _oblivious.  
>'Blaine, do <em>you <em>have a letterman jacket?' Rachel asked pointedly.  
>'Well, yeah,' Blaine answered with a slight frown. 'Everyone on the team gets one, but I don't… oh! <em>Oh! <em>Kurt wants _my _jacket!'  
>'Seems that way,' Rachel replied with a smug smile.<br>'Well then why didn't he just ask for it?'  
>The girl sighed in exasperation. 'Because he couldn't just <em>ask <em>for it! He wanted you to want him to wear it!'  
>'Oh. So I should probably track him down and give him it?' He asked excitedly. Now that he thought about it, he really <em>did <em>want Kurt to wear it, even if there was only a week left of the school year.  
>Well, he could wear it in the summer too if he wanted, but Blaine had a hard time believing that Kurt would let the jacket become a staple in his fabulous wardrobe.<br>'Just… don't just _give _the jacket to Kurt. Tell him why you want him to wear it and ask him if he will. Don't skimp on the romantic side,' Rachel warned him.  
>'Yeah, okay. Thanks, Rachel,' Blaine grinned. He slammed his locker shut before heading to where he kept his jacket – in his locker in the changing room.<p>

Kurt was sat on the piano bench in the choir room, tinkering with the keys sadly. He had a free period and should have been spending it studying with Blaine, but he'd messed things up.  
><em>Who even cares if Blaine doesn't want to give me his stupid jacket? <em>He vented to himself. _He gave me a promise ring, and that's way better.  
><em>He was just about to get up and find Blaine to apologise when his boyfriend hurtled into the room. He straightened up, looking breathless.  
>'Hi Kurt,' he said between long gasps of air. 'I've been looking all over for you.'<br>'Oh.' Suddenly he felt extremely embarrassed for the way he'd acted and couldn't think of anything to say.  
>'I'm sorry I'm such a clueless jerk all the time. But I talked to Rachel and she helped me figure out why you were sad. I, uh, I have something for you.' He'd been hiding something behind his back and when he brought his arms back round to the front Kurt realised that it was <em>his <em>letterman jacket.  
>'I want you to wear this, because then people will know it's a gift and I'll be proud of… ugh!' He couldn't get his words out, clearly, and smacked himself on the head with the palm of his hand in frustration.<br>'Blaine,' Kurt giggled. 'Do you want me to wear the jacket?'  
>Blaine nodded – seemingly all he <em>could <em>do.  
>'Because you want people to know we're together and want to show me off?' The brunette prompted hopefully.<br>Blaine nodded again, more enthusiastically this time.  
>Kurt grinned. 'Okay.'<br>Blaine smiled in relief and surged forward, kissing Kurt passionately. The jacket fell to the floor as he twined his arms around Kurt's neck. Kurt pressed himself up against his boyfriend, darting his tongue out to enter Blaine's mouth. His boyfriend groaned, making Kurt snap out of his kiss-induced trance. 'Not here,' he mumbled as they broke apart. Blaine grinned and picked up the jacket, holding it out for Kurt to put on.  
>'Perfect,' Blaine noted as his boyfriend modelled the jacket, strutting around the room and laughing.<p>

_Also, ages back the wonderful writer _I've-Gotta-Be-Me _wrote a smut fic called _Call Me Irresponsible _to go along with this story. It's set when the Glee club's at Nationals and it's amazing. So go read it!_


End file.
